


Against The Odds

by angiembabe



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-09
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-08-21 04:13:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 86,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16569428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/angiembabe/pseuds/angiembabe
Summary: With Anzu about to graduate with a degree in dance and Yugi about to release his first game, life could not be any better. But with so many commitments, long distance love is difficult to maintain. Following Anzu's graduation, things are looking up for the couple, but when Yugi goes to Germany to show his game, things get crazy and dangerous.





	1. Dreaming of Success

**Author's Note:**

> Yes, it's me! I'm back with a new peachshipping fic. Some parts of this story were written a while ago for other stories but not used. But after seeing DSOD, way back int 2016!, I started re-writing them to make into a new story. The idea for this actually came to me after seeing the fantastic picture Kaz drew and placed on his Instagram account, showing Yugi and Kaiba collaborating to demonstrate Yugi's game from the Kaiba Space Station. I estimate the characters are now 21/22 years old.
> 
> Warnings: Rating is T for now but may well go up due to adult themes and violence. There will also be the odd profanity - but only when I feel it is appropriate for the situation.
> 
> Disclaimers: Unfortunately, I do not own Yugioh or any of the characters. But I feel honoured to be able to be able to write my own stories based on my interpretation of canon.
> 
> With all that said, I hope you will read and enjoy.

Gazing through the window of his small office on the nineteenth floor of the Kaiba Corporation building, Yugi really did feel like the King of all he surveyed.

He would never allow himself to become complacent or arrogant, but he did secretly enjoy looking down on all those people below. It was amusing how small they all looked, scurrying about their daily business, unaware they were being watched from above.

Of course, Seto Kaiba had ensured that his building was the tallest in Japan. Thanks to its revolving duel tower and the recent addition of an enormous radio mast, which beamed and received data from the KC satellites orbiting high above the earth, it was now even taller than the Skytree in Tokyo.

Even though there were several floors above his own office location, Yugi was still high enough that he could still see right across the city; from the Dock yard and shipping terminal at one end of the bay, to the yachting marina on the opposite side. To the north-west, he could see the vast wooded forest of Domino Park, and to the south-west, he could even make out the Kame Game shop, standing proudly on its own little plot of land.

Being one of the older, more individually styled buildings, Kame Game had escaped being bulldozed for redevelopment after the Black Crown had burnt down, taking the neighbouring building with it. Its rustic tiled roof stood like a breath of fresh air next to the boring light beige of the new four storey apartment block, that had been built above the new retail stores replacing the Black Crown and its old neighbours.

He smiled reflectively as he recalled how he had been prepared to give his life trying to reassemble the Puzzle, after Mister Otogi Senior had fled in terror, leaving him alone in the burning room.

Putting morbid thoughts of death to the back of his mind, he focused on his bright future.

With his new game being officially on sale to the Japanese public tomorrow, Yugi was looking forward to enjoying the rewards associated with its success. He just wished that Atem could still be here to play his new game with him and share in its success.

The demonstration of his game on board Kaiba's space station last night, had been met with much interest. All the major gaming magazines and pundits were coming to the press conference organised for tomorrow, and were already hailing it as the most exciting development in virtual gaming since duel disks and the invention of solid vision holograms had meant that Duel Monsters could be played anywhere.

If pre-orders were anything to go by, the game would be flying off the shelves and he would turn a good profit, which in turn, would justify Kaiba's investment in him.

He was keen to ring Anzu and tell her the news and was hopeful that it might help him patch things up between them. Her decision to stay in New York after graduation had been the deciding factor in their latest break-up and he regretted the harsh words they had both used. But trying to keep their relationship going when they had only seen each other three times in the last four years, had been difficult. They had fallen out more times than he could count.

Neither of them had believed that a long distance relationship would be this difficult. But when you are busy studying and working to pay your way, taking time off to travel thousands of miles for a visit had not been as easy or practical as they had thought.

He just hoped that nothing would arise that might prevent him from attending her forthcoming graduation ceremony. Perhaps, while he was there, he could persuade her to accompany him to Cologne for Gamescom in August.

Should he book a double room in advance?

He mentally slapped himself for being presumptuous. What if she was annoyed with him for booking a double room? He could always pretend that it was a mix up over bookings – yeah, that might work.

Hearing his phone buzzing, from where it was sitting on his desk, he moved away from his panoramic view of Domino and sat back down in his executive office chair.

Swiping his phone up, he smiled when he saw that it was a message from his best friend, Jonouchi: Hey Yuge. Just seen the awesome response to last night's demonstration. Fancy meeting for a beer to celebrate?

Yugi fired back a message. How about after work, 6.30pm Otogi's bar? Ask Honda and Kura.

He received a reply almost immediately. Cool. Will do. C U then. The message ended with a smiley face and four beer emojis.

Smirking, Yugi spun his swivel chair around a few times. Just for the fun of it, he whooped, fist pumping the air. He then started chuckling at himself for being so childish.

The office door swung open and Kaiba walked in, catching him in the act. "Don't get ahead of yourself Yugi. There's still some way to go before you can buy yourself a luxury mansion and a sports car!"

Yugi stopped spinning the chair. "I already have a car and I don't need a mansion." he smirked.

"That pathetic little 'K' car you drive does not qualify as a car." Seto rolled his eyes in amusement.

Yugi shrugged. "It's fine around town. And if I want to drive a sports car I can always borrow your Lambo!"

Seto let out a guffaw. "Over my dead body!"

"Now there's an idea!" Yugi grinned cheekily, tapping his index finger against his chin in mock thought.

"Don't push your luck Muto," Seto smirked, raising his eyebrow smugly. "If it wasn't for my investment, your little game idea would have remained an idea." He still remembered events that lead to their first encounter back in high school: Yugi had approached him, mumbling and simpering in an apologetic little voice as he asked for his grandfather's card back. It seemed like another lifetime!

He would never admit it, but he had thoroughly enjoyed working with Yugi on this project. He was fast to learn, full of good ideas and was not afraid to push the limits of gaming technology.

Unlike many of his other employees, Yugi did not simper and fawn, while agreeing with everything Seto said. If Yugi thought Seto was wrong about something, he had the guts to say so.

Another thing he had noticed, was that everyone who worked with Yugi seemed to like him. Yugi had a unique management style – very different from his own! At first Seto had thought his relaxed, friendly style of management would encourage employees to walk all over him and slack off. But the opposite had happened.

It turned out that Yugi had very special leadership qualities; commanding his troops in a subtle way that made people like, respect and want to work for him.

Instead of coming in late, not doing much while they were here and then sneaking home early, the staff would go above and beyond what was asked of them without any complaining whatsoever!

And, they never said spiteful things behind Yugi's back, like Seto knew they did about him.

But bitter experience had taught Seto to always use intimidation and bullying. This had then become his recognised style and a habit he had been unable, or unwilling, to change.

He could not help but be a little envious of the way leadership and management seemed to come so naturally to Yugi.

The word 'like' was not a word Seto would ever use, but over the last three and a half years they had been working together on this project, Seto had grown to respect Yugi immensely. Dare he even admit he viewed Yugi as a friend? No... he would not go that far.

He heard Yugi clearing his throat and blinked to find Yugi staring at him expectantly.

"Was there something you wanted to discuss Kaiba?" After their initial conversation, Kaiba had spaced out! It was making Yugi nervous that all the pre-orders had fallen through or something.

Seto nodded his head. "I actually came to tell you that I am just going out. My secretary is typing up the details for tomorrow's press conference and will e-mail it to you. It contains the anticipated release dates around the world for your game, which we will officially announce tomorrow. I expect you here at eight thirty sharp." He turned on his heel and strode out of the office.

"Okay... See you tomorrow morning," Yugi replied cheerfully. Kaiba ignored him and marched towards the elevators with an air of superiority.

From his office, Yugi smirked and let out a snort of amusement. For some reason, the way Kaiba moved had suddenly made him think of red crowned cranes.

::::::::::::

A phone call from the real estate company regarding the house he was hoping to buy, meant that Yugi was late arriving at Otogi's Bar.

"What kept you dude?" Honda teased. "We were beginning to think you were bailing on us."

"Sorry guys," Yugi grinned sheepishly. Not wishing to tell them just yet, in case it fell through, he deflected them with a flippant response. "You know how it is when you're in constant demand."

"C'mon, Yuge! Spill! What really kept ya?" Jonouchi nudged him with a salacious grin. "Was she worth it?"

Yugi startled. "It was nothing like that!" He nearly shrieked. "B..busy with work!"

Jonouchi was disappointed that his friend had not found a pretty woman to distract him from Anzu, and instead interpreted it as Kaiba making sure that Yugi did not leave the office on time. "Man... that Kaiba's a jerk. Forcing ya to work long hours."

Shaking his head, Yugi could not help but chuckle. "Kaiba doesn't force me to work Jonouchi. I enjoy my work!"

Interrupting, Ryuji Otogi leaned across the bar. "Hey! Stop hassling him, dork! What are you having Yugi?"

"Oh! Just a coke please?"

"Coke?!" Jonouchi shrieked.

"Yeah, come on Yugi, surely you want something a bit stronger than coke?" Otogi pressed.

"Yeah, one drink won't hurt." Honda rolled his eyes. Yugi was well known for not being able to drink much, but even he could drink one beer without ending up inebriated.

Yugi huffed in annoyance. They were going to try and get him drunk; he just knew it! "Okay, just one beer. But I mean it when I say no more than one. I have to be up early to do an interview tomorrow and I don't want to be hung over and baggy eyed."

Jonouchi threw a sloppy arm over Yugi's shoulders. "Hey! That never even crossed our minds! You know you can trust us Yugi," he grinned.

"Yeah, sure I can," Yugi muttered, sarcastically rolling his eyes. He playfully pushed Jonouchi away from him. "Anyway, where's Bakura? Is he coming?"

"Nah," Jonouchi responded, with a disappointed sigh. "Made some excuse about not feeling well.

"I think his agoraphobia might be getting worse again," Honda added.

"Really? I thought he was doing much better!" Yugi frowned. "Now I feel bad for being too busy with work to keep an eye on him."

"It's not your fault he still suffers from what that necklace thing did to him, Yugi" said Otogi, placing a large glass of larger on the bar and sliding it towards Yugi. When Yugi went to pay, he put his hand up. "No! It's my treat." Yugi thanked him and took a sip.

He placed his glass back down. "Maybe we should all go and see Bakura later? We could take him his favourite pizza or something."

"Yeah, sounds good," Honda nodded his agreement. "He often skips meals and doesn't always eat properly. It will show him we care."

As soon as they had all finished their drinks, they made their way to the nearby pizza bar and purchased four large sized, takeaway pizzas.

It was around a fifteen minute walk to Bakura's apartment block, so they took a taxi to prevent the pizzas getting too cold.

Ryou answered the door, looking pale and tired, but pleased to see that they had taken the time and effort to visit him.

"We come bearing gifts!" Jonouchi grinned, holding up the four pizza boxes.

Ryou stepped aside and gestured for them to enter. "Thank you. I have been in bed with a migraine since yesterday evening."

The three men barrelled into his flat in high spirits from the beer they had consumed and made themselves at home. Jonouchi placed the boxes of pizza on the table and started opening them.

"Better hurry up and help yourselves you two," Honda laughed, looking over to where Yugi was asking Ryou if he was okay. "Before me and gannet here eat it all!"

The pair nodded and came over to the table.

"I'm fine, thank you Yugi," Ryou reassured. "You don't need to worry about me. I have just been studying too hard, that's all."

"Well, if you're sure?" Yugi picked up one of the boxes of pizza and suddenly realised how hungry he was. He quickly helped himself to a couple of slices before offering the box to Ryou.

Ryou licked his lips and took a slice. "I know you all worry that I am still suffering from nightmares and flashbacks. But they no longer bother me. I am about to qualify as a criminal psychologist and I am very excited about my future."

"Well, that's great to hear Bakura," Jonouchi mumbled with his mouth full.

"Yeah, that is good news," Honda added. "Got any beer in your fridge so we can celebrate?"

Ryou laughed. "No beer, sorry. But I do have a bottle of wine."

"That'll do!" Jonouchi grinned.

Ryou went to get four wine glasses while Jonouchi grabbed the wine and poured them each a glass.

Yugi was thankful that one bottle of wine between four did not go very far. But they did end up staying up into the early hours playing video games.

It was one in the morning when Yugi suddenly remembered he had missed the chance to call Anzu before she left her apartment to go to college. She would most likely be in class right now. He inadvertently let out a light groan, which immediately attracted the attention of his friends.

"What's up Yugi? Worried it's way past your bed time?" Jonouchi teased.

"No," he frowned, "well yes! I'm going to be worn out for the press conference. But I'm more annoyed with myself for forgetting to ring Anzu."

"Was she expecting you to call?" Ryou asked.

"No." Yugi shook his head. "I feel bad because I haven't called her for a couple of weeks. Not since she told me she was staying in New York."

"Hey! Don't go feeling all guilty Yugi. It ain't your fault she went off to New York and made a bunch of new friends and forgot all about her real friends back home," Jonouchi grumbled. He was a little miffed that she kept in touch with Shizuka but never messaged him.

"Yeah, but I haven't exactly made much effort either," Yugi responded.

"You try your best," said Honda, trying to make him feel less guilty. "But you've been working hard and juggling college. You can't just take time off to make a long flight every other week! The tickets are not cheap either!"

"You're right Honda; flights are not cheap," Yugi agreed "And to be fair, Anzu doesn't have much money left over for air fare. I paid for her ticket home last summer! She was not happy about it though..." he sighed. "She tried to make it sound like she was joking, but she told me she doesn't need a sugar daddy to pay or her because she wants to prove she can be financially independent. But she was so desperate to see everyone that..."

"Yeah," Jonouchi interrupted, "-and I didn't even get to see her! Fuck! It's like she can't even be bothered to keep in touch with us any more," he grumbled.

Honda play punched his pal's shoulder. "I seem to remember you didn't see her because you were busy chasing after Mai at some tournament in China. And have you bothered to keep in touch with her?"

In response, Jonouchi shoved him back. "Yeah... I do actually... Shizuka keeps in touch with her for me," he retorted smugly.

Honda rolled his eyes at Jonouchi for exaggerating. Shizuka kept in touch with Anzu because she wanted to, not because her knuckle headed brother wanted her to. "That's not the same as making the effort yourself, dummy!"

Ryou was sad that she had drifted away from them all. She had always been friendly and kind towards him, despite the spiteful things the Ring had made him do. "Why don't we call her up on video chat now?" He suggested, brightly.

"Yeah! That's a pretty cool idea Bakura," Honda grinned. He also felt a bit guilty for not making more effort to stay in touch with Anzu.

"Where's ya laptop?" Jonouchi started looking around for it. His three friends started laughing.

"Jonouchi! We can use my TV screen," Ryou stated, gently.

"Oh!" Jonouchi scowled and sat back down. "I knew that. I was just winding you all up!"

Anzu was just on her way to the college canteen to grab a bite to eat, when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out to see that she had a video call from Ryou Bakura. This was the first time she had received a call from Ryou since moving here! What did he want? "Hey Bakura," she said, cautiously accepting the call.

"Hello Anzu! I have Yugi, Jonouchi and Honda here with me," he quickly told her.

Yugi and Honda leaned in beside their white/blonde haired friend, grinning and waving, but Jonouchi leapt in front of them and hogged the camera lens.

"Hey there Anzu!" He beamed, allowing her a close up view of his mouth and nose.

"Jonouchi! You're not supposed to get right up to the camera like that!" Said Yugi, exasperated.

"Huh! Oh right!" Jonouchi sat back looking embarrassed. "I was only trying to make Anzu laugh!" Anzu did indeed laugh.

"Yes, well I think you succeeded there Jonouchi!" She giggled. "But I'm not sure I wanted to see your nasal hair! Anyway, how are you guys? Must be late at night there?!"

"Yeah! One fifteen in the morning," Jonouchi bellowed into the microphone.

"You'll deafen the poor girl yelling like that, you jerk!" Honda shoved him aside. "Let Yugi talk to his girl!" Seeing Anzu's shocked expression, Honda grinned and waved. "Hey Anzu!"

"Hey Honda! It's good to speak to you all. But it's a bit awkward right now. I'm at college."

"Then we promise to make it quick!" He replied. "Yugi wants to know if you watched the live stream from the space station?" He pulled Yugi back into the frame.

Yugi cringed sightly with embarrassment. Last time they had spoken was when she had told him she was staying in New York. And as a result they had split up.

He gave her a a sheepish little wave. "Hi Anzu! My new game is being officially released in Japan tomorrow."

Blushing awkwardly, Anzu smiled. "That's fantastic news Yugi. And, yes! You bet I watched it. I thought it was amazing."

He blushed at the compliment. "Thanks! We have so many pre-orders that it's already predicted to top games charts around the world. There's a big press release tomorrow and we will be announcing the release dates around the world."

Anzu wondered what that might mean for them as a couple in the future. But with neither of them in a place where one could hold a private conversation, she did not broach the subject. She was also a little concerned that if he had a press conference tomorrow morning, he might not be getting enough sleep. "Then why are you up partying with your friends so late into the night? I hope they are not leading you astray, are they?" Despite her concern, she winked at him in an effort not to appear bossy.

He rubbed the side of his head. "They're not leading me astray. We had pizza and have been playing games. We're about to call it a night soon."

She gave him a warm, friendly smile. "I hope tomorrow goes really well. But promise me Yugi, as soon as we finish this call you will go home and get some sleep?"

"I promise," he grinned, sheepishly.

By the time Yugi got home and went to bed, it was gone three.

::::::::::::

"What the hell were you doing last night? You look dreadful!" Seto scowled at him when he stumbled into the building, using the rear entrance to avoid the media and crowds. He was fifteen minutes late. He pulled off his grandfather's trilby, that he had been wearing to disguise his hair, looking a bit dishevelled.

"I only had three hours sleep," he yawned. Even a cool shower this morning had done little to wake him up. "We were at Bakura's playing games and kind of lost track of the time. There sure are a lot of people out front."

Seto rolled his eyes at him. "Well, at least you don't smell like a brewery." He would have been furious with Yugi if he had turned up still drunk from last night. Yugi had a clean cut image and the media would have pounced on it as a potential scandal. "We can explain your appearance by saying that you have been working flat out. They will swallow that."

Yugi chuckled. "Playing games is kind of my job anyway."

After a mug of Seto's favourite brand of strong coffee, Yugi felt a bit better. The stylist made him tuck in his shirt and wear a tie, while the make-up artist touched up any imperfections and added a bit of colour so that he would not appear washed out on camera, and he was good to go.

He was nervous. There were gaming journalists from around the world attending and his interview would be translated into various different languages for publication worldwide. He did not want to stuff it up by saying something stupid.

He and Seto stepped into the elevator, that would take them downstairs to where the press conference had been set up in the old ground floor dueling arena of the Kaiba Corporation headquarters.

Yugi was about to rub his sweaty palms on his trousers, when Seto produced a packet of antibacterial wipes from his trench-coat pocket and offered him one. "Just relax Yugi."

Yugi could not help smirking as he took a wipe from the offered packet. "You carry antibacterial wipes?"

Seto shrugged nonchalantly. "I have to shake a lot of hands and people carry germs."

Yugi snorted as he tried to stifle a laugh. He knew Kaiba viewed people as germs and hated them touching him, but it was still funny to think that he carried wipes in his pocket. If Atem had known about it he would have laughed until his sides split!

"Don't you dare breathe a word to your friends," Seto hissed.

"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me," Yugi smiled, just as the lift stopped and the doors opened, to reveal an excited crowd of people.

Of course, they all interpreted Yugi's amused smile as one of greeting.

He stepped out of the elevator, with not a hint of the nerves he had been feeling just moments ago.

Anxious reporters, working for various gaming magazines, held their microphones out in eager anticipation as they shouted their questions.

Seto held his arms up, pushing his palms down in a shushing gesture, while ordering them to be quiet. His blue tooth microphone on his lapel picked up his voice and boomed it out over the loudspeakers. Being tall, he cut an imposing figure and everyone fell silent.

After making a short announcement, Seto marched towards a long table, which was set up on a platform under the watchful gaze of the beautifully crafted statue of his Blue Eyes White Dragon. Yugi hurried after him and once seated Seto told him to turn on his microphone.

Gulping, Yugi pressed the button. His hands were sweating again, but he did not falter from his memorised script. He had deliberately kept it short and soon opened up the questions and answers.

It went very well and the morning flew by.

Fuelled by the excitement of the occasion, Yugi forgot about his earlier tiredness and acquitted himself eloquently. The publicity was good and Seto Kaiba was more than satisfied by the extra business it was sure to bring.

::::::::::::

The following week, Yugi found himself the proud owner of his very own house.

As he went with Jonouchi to collect the keys from the real estate office, he could not stop reflecting on his success.

His game was already at the top of the charts in Japan. But he hoped that the reason people were buying it and raving about it, was because it was genuinely good and not just because of his fame as the King of Games. The true measure of how successful it would be in the long term would be the overseas sales. Because while he was known overseas among fans of Duel Monsters, he was not well known among non-duelists like he was here in Japan.

He decided not to dwell on it for the time being. There were still a few weeks to go before the European release, and in the meantime he was looking forward to going to New York for Anzu's graduation.

He also wanted to spend some time fitting out his new property.

The décor was a bit old fashioned and there was quite a lot of modernisation needed to make it how he would like. But he was not in any immediate hurry to move in, so he could take his time getting it right.

His main aim was to minimise costs by decorating the upstairs himself and get contractors in to fit out the new kitchen, bathroom and ground floor dance studio.

The previous owners, Mister and Mrs Nakajima, had run a business selling bicycles. And Mister Nakajima had specialised in restoring old and broken ones. Even though the area behind the shop had been cleared out, it was still in quite a mess from splashes of oil and grease, which had soaked into the linoleum tiled floor.

But that did not bother Yugi. He planned to rip it all out and have a good quality wooden dance floor put down for Anzu to use. She had once told him that it was her dream to one day have her own dance studio and he was elated to be able to gift this to her.

Jonouchi was astonished as Yugi proudly showed him round. "Wow! You kept this quiet! If I help decorate, can I move in? We can make an awesome games room!"

Yugi scratched his head rather awkwardly. "Well, I'm sure you can come over and visit. But I was kind of hoping that when Anzu comes home, we will get back together and she will move in with me. I want it to be our future home."

"Aww..." Jonouchi snickered. "I can just see little Yugi and Anzu babies running round this place, squawking."

Yugi's face was one of horror. He had not considered becoming a father that quickly! "Not for a few years!" He shrieked. "Besides, Anzu wants a career. I don't know if she even wants kids!"

Jonouchi chuckled at the look on Yugi's face and continued to tease him. "All women want kids Yuug. You wait! Soon as she gets settled in she will go all broody and she will expect you to do the business."

Yugi blushed at the thought. "Maybe," he shrugged. He then became reflective and looked a little sad. "I'm doing all this," he swept his hand in a gesture at the space he hoped would become Anzu's dance studio, "and we're not even together. I don't even know if she still likes me!"

"Hey!" Jonnouchi clamped him on the shoulder. "You two will work it out when you go to her graduation. I know you will."

Yugi shrugged. "Maybe... Hopefully."

"What did she say when you told her you were buying this place?" At Yugi's lack of reply, he frowned. "You have told her, haven't you?"

"Well... not exactly. We haven't really spoken about anything much."

"Geez Yugi! You would do all this for a girl? She's gotta say yes! She's crazy if she doesn't."

"That's kind of what I was thinking too," Yugi admitted.

::::::::::::

Hurrying down the isle of the local convenience store, Anzu gathered up the items she needed, before going to the checkout.

As always, there was a queue – Bob, the cashier, sure did like to chat with his customers. And the old lady at the front of the queue was flirting with him and seemed to be in no hurry!

Fidgeting impatiently, Anzu's eyes were drawn to the magazine stand. Maybe she could get something to read, to pass the time in this queue! She nearly let out an audible gasp of excitement when she spotted a gaming magazine with a picture of Yugi on the front cover.

She placed her basket on the floor and asked the guy behind her if he could keep her place for her and then darted over to the stand and grabbed the magazine.

Smiling demurely, she pushed her way back into her space in the queue. "My boyfriend," she proudly said to the people around her as she held up the magazine.

The man behind her snorted. She could not tell if it was because he was annoyed at her jumping back into the queue, or because he thought she was a crazy fan-girl. She stopped talking and placed the magazine in her basket.

It suddenly occurred to her that announcing Yugi as her boyfriend was a bit foolish, since they had already fallen at the hurdle of prolonged separation and were no longer dating.

But they were still friends and she certainly hoped they might get back together one day.

With her daydreaming about Yugi, she soon reached the checkout.

Placing her basket on the counter, she greeted Bob. She and Sally were regular shoppers here and knew the staff.

"G'day Miss Annie. It might be raining outside but you are always a ray of sunshine!"

Anzu smiled at the name Bob had given her. She had tried explaining her name was Anzu and that it was Japanese for Peach, but he still insisted on calling her Annie so she let it go. "Yes, it's not nice for the end of May. I hope it warms up for my graduation in two weeks."

"I hope so too." He picked up the magazine and scanned the bar code. "I didn't know you were into games! Ha!" He grinned at the photo of Yugi on the cover and tapped his finger on the picture. "My kids are big fans of his!"

"Really?!" Anzu's face lit up. "Yugi's a really close friend of mine. We grew up together. He's coming over for my graduation." At least, she hoped he would still be coming. Tickets were limited to two per student, but she had been lucky enough to have won an extra ticket in the ballot. Although... she had a feeling that it might not have been luck that had won her the ticket! When Mai had been here a couple of months ago for a pro-league tournament, she had told her that she had tickets for her parents but would have to enter the ballot in the hope of winning an extra ticket for Yugi.

She was pretty sure that Mai had told Mokuba, because quite a large donation had subsequently been made to the school's charitable foundation by Kaiba Corp. And her name was – surprise! Surprise! First out of the draw. She had kept very quiet about her connections.

But at least it meant that Yugi would be able to attend the commencement ceremony. And he was none the wiser about the strings that had been pulled to get him there.

She smiled at Bob. "I'm sure that Yugi will be happy to meet your children next time he visits." She knew that Yugi would not mind her offering on his behalf. He was always more than happy to meet his fans.

She paid for her groceries and hurried back to her apartment to read the interview with Yugi.

It was a really nice interview and the review for his game was good.

She remembered back to the day they had all sat on the roof during lunch break and shared their dreams for the future. Yugi had mentioned his dream of inventing a game and showing it at a games convention in Germany.

In just a couple of months, he would achieve that wish.

She felt a rush of happiness and warmth for him. If would be nice if she could go with him!

But she had not been invited.

Even if he did ask her, she could not really afford to take time off work. She was working four nights per week as a waitress in a local Japanese restaurant, to cover the rent and buy food. But money was still tight and didn't go far. Taking time off to go to Germany with Yugi, would mean losing a week's pay! And what if she missed out on the chance to go for an audition while she was away?

Why was everything always so complicated?


	2. Together Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi arrives in New York for Anzu's graduation. Although he was the one to break up with her, they are still friends. While he is there, he hopes to make it up to her and for them to get back together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Those of you who love Yugi and Anzu together should enjoy this chapter.  
> Warnings: There is lemon in this chapter, so I would advise minors to steer clear.

Yugi arrived in New York and made his way to the address that Anzu had given him.

It was the first time he had visited her since she and Sally had moved into this apartment and he was more than a little concerned to find that the apartment block was was rather shabby and run down. Anzu had told him that the people living there were mostly students from the nearby colleges and low paid workers, so he figured that it was probably the best that the girls could afford at the moment.

He rang the bell indicating her apartment number and her voice came over the intercom. It crackled and sounded tinny over the small speaker. "This is Anzu Mazaki. Aparment 14."

"Hi Anzu!" He announced brightly. "It's me... Yugi."

She was not expecting him so soon! His flight must have landed early. "Hi Yugi. Come on up!" The door locking mechanism buzzed and clicked open. He turned the handle and pushed.

Lifting his heavy suitcase over the door jam, he stepped inside. There was very little natural light, which made the interior appear quite dingy. He pressed a light switch, which was on a timer, to reveal that even with the light on, it was still dingy. The linoleum on the floor was dark brown, scuffed and badly worn and the walls were painted a boring shade of peeling caramel. The whole place looked like it could do with a fresh coat of nice, light coloured paint to cheer it up a bit.

Already feeling tired and jaded from travelling, he was dismayed to find the lift was not working, meaning he would have to haul his suitcase up several flights of stairs.

Slightly out of breath and with his arms aching, he reached the top of the stairwell to see that Anzu had already opened her door and was waiting to welcome him.

"Yugi!" She squealed, excitedly. She had not seen him for over ten months and was quick to notice how he seemed to have matured a little more, and maybe even grown a little taller.

He beamed at her and forgot all about his tired, aching arms as he rushed to embrace her.

Now a good inch or so taller than her, he lifted her feet off the ground with ease and spun her round while laughing. "It's so good to see you again!" She had grown even more beautiful since he had last seen her and he regretted not taking time off so that he could visit her more often. They might never have broken up in the first place had he made more effort to keep their relationship going.

"Come on in Yugi. My parents are already here. They arrived yesterday. Sally's parents are also here."

He smiled politely and greeted everyone as he was pulled inside. However, he was secretly a bit dismayed that they were all here, because he had hoped that he and Anzu might have some alone time, to talk.

He then felt a wave of guilt rush over him for not wanting them here. They were her parents and had every right to be here for their daughter's graduation.

"You must be very tired Yugi?" Mrs Mazaki smiled sympathetically, remembering how exhausted she had felt upon arriving yesterday. "Would you like some tea?"

Always keen to demonstrate good manners in front of Anzu's parents, he bowed his head. "Yes please, Mrs Mazaki."

While she was making the tea, Anzu showed Yugi where to leave his suitcase so that they would not trip over it. "I'm sorry we're all a bit crammed in" she said, sheepishly. "My parents are sleeping in my room and Sally's parents are in her room. You me and Sally will have to sleep on mats in the sitting room. But it's only for a few nights, so I'm sure we will manage. It will be like a sleepover!"

Yugi nodded and kept his expression neutral. But his heart sank rapidly at the realisation he would not be sleeping in Anzu's bed with her. It then occurred to him that she might not let him in her bed anyway! He had to accept that they were no longer a couple. They were just good friends. Although, he felt sure that given half a chance he would be able to change that.

"Are you okay with the sleeping arrangements Yugi?" She knew him well enough to see the slight hint of disappointment on his face.

"Huh?! Yeah, that's okay with me. I'm just tired." The right hand corner of his mouth curled into a half smile, reminding her of how much like Atem he had become.

There was also a slight look of irritation about him and she really hoped that he was not angry still over her decision to remain in New York.

But this was her dream. Could he not understand how much she loved living here? She and her friend Sally were on an adventure and they might not get another chance if they gave in and went home.

Yes, finances were tight. But they were just about managing to keep their heads above water.

She had no idea what opportunities awaited her, but that was part of the excitement. Whether it would be the big break into the stardom she dreamed of, or just a supporting role in a minor musical, she would still love every minute of it.

In many ways, she was probably being naïve about her chances of Broadway success, but she didn't care. Her parents had already accepted her decision to reject the idea of an apprenticeship with the Tokyo Ballet Company, choosing to stay here instead, so why couldn't Yugi? It was not like him to be so outspoken and it had really upset her. He was normally so easy going. It had been a shock when he told her that it was clearly not working out between them and that they should break up until they both decided what they really wanted from a relationship.

He had made her feel like it was okay for him to do whatever he wanted, but because she was a woman and he was a man, she was the one who was supposed to go along with whatever he decided was best.

It was sad to think that deep down, he was just as sexist as most of the men she had met.

But even so, she still felt like the guilty party, and was finding it hard to escape traditional Japanese values. She was so torn between being an independent woman and the standard expectation, that in two or three years, once she had achieved many of her dancing ambitions, she would be ready to go home to Domino, settle down, get married and start a family with him and become a housewife?

However, she was also a realist and knew that she could not expect him to wait for her forever, while she selfishly pursued her goals.

::::::::::::

Seven adults in an apartment, with only one bathroom, turned out to be more of a problem than any of them had thought. It took ages for everyone to get ready for bed.

The men allowed the women to go first, unaware that after each of the women had used the bathroom, there would be no hot water left. The ageing boiler simply could not heat the water fast enough to meet the demand.

Yugi was the first to find out.

After a long journey, he was in desperate need of a shave and a nice refreshing shower. His shower turned out to be very refreshing indeed!

At first it was warm, but as soon as he had lathered the shampoo into his hair, it started to run cold. He gasped, letting out a squeak and nearly inhaled the soap suds. Grimacing, he washed himself as quickly as possible, before stepping out, shivering. That was not the nice, long hot shower he had been looking forward to.

Drying himself off, he was glad to put on his pyjamas and the fleecy dressing gown Anzu had lent him. It was pink, but he did not care as long as it smelled of her. He could almost imagine her draped around him.

Exiting the bathroom, he warned Anzu and Sally's respective fathers about the water situation.

Sally and Anzu were very apologetic. They would need to work out a rota system for while everyone was here.

With everyone finished in the bathroom, they said goodnight and went to bed.

Anzu and Sally had placed sleeping mats, sleeping bags and pillows out for themselves and Yugi.

"Good night Yugi," Anzu smiled at him as she climbed into her sleeping bag.

He had been hoping that she might offer him a kiss goodnight, but she did not make any move to do so.

She was only about two feet away from him, so he decided to be bold and lean across to kiss her. It was just a peck on the cheek, but he hoped that it would show that despite their break up, he still held a great deal of affection for her. "Night Anzu," he breathed huskily, lingering close and allowing his warm, minty toothpaste breath to ghost across her neck and jawline

Slightly surprised at how bold he was being with Sally in the same room, she tilted her head to look at him.

Having gained her attention, he lovingly gazed into her eyes for just the briefest of moments, before giving her a warm, casual smile, winking and rolling back onto his own sleeping mat.

Judging by her reaction, he was pretty sure that he had sent her heart rate soaring for a moment or two. If he could make it up to her, then he was sure he would be able to win back her love.

Sally flicked off the lamp, and despite his active mind Yugi was soon fast asleep.

Anzu lay on her side and watched him. What was he up to? He was far more sure of himself than she had ever known him to be. There had even been a naughty little glint in his eyes when he had given her that almost 'cocky' smile. In the low light of the room, he had looked almost exactly like Atem and it was messing with her head.

She was over Atem, for sure. She had been for long time now. She had separated them both into two individual people and had fallen in love with Yugi for not being Atem. But when he took on little gestures and mannerisms that mimicked Atem, it brought back memories.

She wondered if Yugi had done it deliberately, or even subconsciously, to unsettle her and trigger some deeply buried feelings.

He had his back facing her and she could see the gentle rise and fall of the sleeping bag as he breathed in deeply and then out through his nose. She could just make out the spikes of his hair in the darkness and it made her smile fondly – she had always loved his distinctive profile.

Deciding that she should stop over thinking things, or it would keep her awake, she closed her eyes and tried to get to sleep.

::::::::::::

Yugi was woken by something soft brushing against his face. Sleepily, he turned his head slightly. Soft warm breath ghosted over his cheek and velvet lips brushed his skin. "Anzu...?" He murmured.

"Shhhh," she brushed her fingers over his lips to silence him, before trailing her hand along his jawline.

He wriggled around inside his sleeping bag, until he was on his back underneath her.

Still a little sleepy, he gazed into her eyes and was thrilled to see they were full of wanton lust.

The sleeping bag was a barrier between them, and as Yugi went to to pull his arms out from inside to unzip it, he found that Anzu was already fumbling to work the zip down.

For a moment, it seemed to catch frustratingly on the material of the sleeping bag. Impatient to have her inside the bag with him, he reached down and yanked the material free, almost tearing it.

With the zip dealt with, Anzu slid herself into the open sleeping bag to feel the comforting warmth of his body.

He placed his hand behind the nape of her neck and pulled her in for a passionate kiss.

After a few moments, she pulled away slightly and whispered against his ear. "Let me pleasure you..." Her sultry voice sent ripples of ecstasy running through his body.

He quivered again when her hand trailed down his body and under the waistband of his pyjama bottoms, to gently take him in her hand.

He had not even realised how hard he already was for her! His mouth dropped open and he had to stifle a moan to prevent himself from waking everyone up!

Smiling at his reaction, Anzu pushed his pyjama top up and started kissing his navel, before working her way towards his lower abdomen, only stopping to avoid a mouth full of pubic hair.

She switched her focus to his now throbbing erection.

It had been so long since he had even seen her, yet alone had any intimacy with her, and he was unable to hold on. The moment her lips touched his sensitive tip, he lost it.

His face pressed against the rough carpet and he woke up to find that he had managed to roll right off his sleeping mat, onto the old, worn out carpet.

His body was hot and he felt a familiar, sticky wet feeling clinging to his groin. He reached his hand down to his still pulsing erection and realised that it had all been an erotic dream.

Feeling ashamed of himself, he glanced around the darkened room to see that both girls were still fast asleep inside their sleeping bags.

He rolled his eyes at himself and let out a quiet sigh of relief that he had not moaned or cried out her name loudly enough in his sleep, to wake them up.

Knowing he would not be able to sleep in his uncomfortably wet pyjamas, he unzipped the sleeping bag and crawled out to go and clean himself up. Thankfully, his pyjama bottoms had contained most of it and he was relieved that he had not made a mess on the inside of his sleeping bag. It was just a little damp in one spot, which he could live with.

Picking up his torch – which he always took with him when he travelled anywhere – he made his way over to here his clothes were neatly folded on his suitcase. He picked out some clean boxers and then tiptoed hurriedly to the bathroom.

Locking the door, he turned on the light and had to squint for a moment to let his eyes adjust.

His pyjama bottoms were stained, wet and uncomfortable. Peeling them off, he looked for something to clean himself with. Toilet paper usually shredded into bits and he had left his own towel draped over the radiator in the sitting room! He had no choice, but rinse out his pyjama bottoms and then wipe himself dry on the clean part of his pyjama legs.

All the time, he was cursing internally.

He crumpled the pyjama bottoms into a ball and looked at them. He couldn't wear them wet! And he couldn't just leave them lying around in the bathroom– everyone would know what he'd been doing. He had to hide them somewhere. But where?

The only place he could think of, was the bottom of the linen basket, or... sneak them inside his suitcase without waking anyone up.

Pulling on his boxers, he unlocked the bathroom door, turned the light off and slowly opened the door.

Still feeling ashamed, he peered out into the small hallway and almost leapt out of his skin when he saw a sleepy looking Anzu peering back at him.

"Yugi?" She whispered.

Vividly remembering his dream, he cringed and blushed. He wished the ground would swallow him. He was sure she must have guessed. "Hi!" He squeaked in the tiniest of voices.

They both looked down at the rolled up wet pyjama bottoms in his hand. His instant reaction was to quickly hide them being his back.

Anzu's eyes wandered back up to his face. Had he wet himself? She raised her eyebrows at him in a silent question and he wanted to curl up in a ball and roll away. Instead, he grimaced at her and made a sheepish little noise.

But as they continued to look at one another, her face softened and she looked at him with nothing but love, affection and mild amusement. She suddenly felt mean for finding it funny that he had accidentally urinated on his pyjamas while using the toilet.

Feeling sympathy for his predicament, she moved forward and bundled him back into the bathroom. "I thought I heard you get up! Are you okay? What happened? Did you have an accident?" She still thought it was a urinary incident.

He grimaced. "Sort of... It's not actually urine."

She suddenly recognised his scent and the penny dropped. "Oh!" She was too nice to accuse him of masturbating in her apartment. But she was also aware that guys had needs and did not want to make him feel bad about how his body might have responded to sleeping in a room with two young women.

"I erm..." He blushed. "I had a dream and... you know how it is?" He muttered, sheepishly.

"Not really. I'm not a guy." She shook her head, trying not to laugh at how adorable and sexy he looked, standing there, cringing.

However, there was something about the scent coming from him that was starting to make her feel really horny.

It was her turn to blush. "Put them in the linen basket. I will put a wash on first thing."

"Thanks." Relieved that she was not angry with him, he quickly threw them into the wicker basket in the corner of the room..

He was taken by surprise when he turned around again to see her locking the door and looking at him with a very naughty smile. "Anzu?!"

She practically jumped him! "Oh Yugi... I've missed you so much." She threw her arms around his shoulders and kissed him so fervently that he thought he might suffocate.

However, his surprise only lasted for a split second before he was returning the kiss with an equal amount of heated passion.

Their long separation had been denying them this and neither was in any mood to stop. But after a while, the need for air forced them to take a breather.

Panting and smiling, Yugi brushed his fingers through her hair. She had let it grow long and he liked it. "I know I split up with you, but I will never stop loving you," he whispered, his voice so low and seductive that it made Anzu quiver.

"I never wanted us to split up," she whispered. "Will you make love to me?"

"What?! Here?!" It as not the romantic setting that he had visualised for wooing her back too him. "What if someone hears?"

"Then we will have to be quiet, won't we?" The teasing in her voice made him tremble.

He looked around the bathroom. "Where...?" Given the location and the fact that her parents were sleeping close by, he was not even sure it would work out. He was already pretty tired after his erotic dream and getting it up again when he was afraid that her father would start hammering angrily on the door, did not bode well.

"We will have to be inventive," she winked, fumbling to undo the buttons on his pyjama top. He had told her he had been using the gym more frequently and she was keen to see the results. She was not disappointed.

Almost purring with satisfaction, she ran her hands over his shoulders and chest. His lean physique was athletic and toned. It was hard to imagine that he had once been so small and weedy. The man standing before her, was everything she ever dreamed he might one day become.

Yugi liked the way she was admiring him. At one time he would have been far too self conscious to allow her look at him like this. But not now.

He would never be a narcissist, or boastful, but he knew from the messages he received from adoring fans – female and male – that he was attractive. The girls he had dated during the times he and Anzu had thought it best to split up, had commented on how mesmerising and beautiful his eyes were and he knew how to use them to his advantage.

He captured her lips in another kiss and ran his hands over her thighs. His hands travelled upwards over her hips and around her lower back to cup her buttocks.

Another wave of heated desire shot through him as she wrapped one of her strong, supple legs around his waist, and in his frantic haste to remove her nightdress, he managed to rip it.

"Sorry!" He gasped, pulling away from her. "I'll buy you another one."

It was her favourite nightdress, but right now she was beyond caring about it. Smiling, she did a pirouette and in one move pulled the remnants of her torn nightie over her head and threw it to one side. "You can buy me another so you can rip it off me again," she teased.

He swallowed thickly as he took in her beauty. Due to her training regime she was lean and toned, but she had still maintained her femininity. He noticed that her legs looked really defined and he could not wait for them to be wrapped around his waist.

At the sight of her standing before him in all her beauty, any concerns he had about a certain part of his anatomy not being willing to respond, were instantly brushed aside by his throbbing erection desperately pressing against the material of his boxers.

Impressed by how aroused he was, Anzu began to slide her hands inside his boxers. She tried to push them down over his thighs but they hooked on his erection. He impatiently helped her push them down so that he could kick them off.

The final item to go was her panties.

There was a slightly awkward moment of vulnerability between them as they stood naked before one another. Moments ago, Anzu had been completely sure about this, but now she was suddenly feeling a bit nervous. "I hope no one wakes up and wants to use the toilet," she muttered.

Yugi had been concerned about the same thing until a few minutes ago, but he was now filled with so much desire for her that he did not care.

He shrugged. "Then they will have to wait." Taking her in his arms, he started peppering her neck with needy little kisses.

She steered him to his makeshift seat on the toilet and then straddled him.

It was not the most romantic setting, but the desire to ravish each other was so overwhelming that they would improvise anywhere they could find some privacy. And since this was the only place with a lock on the door that was available, it would have to do.

It was intense and it was frantic, and it was all over rather too quickly.

Panting and gasping, Anzu buried her fingers in his thick, dark, spiky mane of hair and massaged his scalp. "Wow!" She breathed. "I never thought I would be as naughty and desperate for you as that!"

Yugi continued to stroke her lower back and silky smooth buttocks with the pads of his fingers. "It was all part of my cunning game plan," he teased, with a rather glazed, euphoric smile on his face.

She leaned down from her elevated position on his lap and kissed his lips softly. "No matter where life takes us, I will always love you Yugi Muto. But, we can't stay here all night. Someone's bound to want to use the bathroom eventually. We should clean up and get back to bed."

He nodded and steadied her as she lifted herself off him.

Having cleaned up, they tiptoed back into the sitting room like a pair of naughty kids hoping not to be caught. "At least we didn't make loads of noise and wake anyone," Anzu mouthed. Yugi was pretty sure they had not been as quiet as she imagined and was relieved that they appeared to have got away with it.

He made a point of moving his sleeping mat as close to hers as possible, before sliding into his own sleeping bag and cuddling up to her.

A few feet away from them, Sally was pretending to be asleep. She had woken up when Anzu got up to go to the bathroom and had then noticed that Yugi was not in his sleeping bag.

She had heard them too! They had been quite noisy and she was thankful that her parents, who were in the bedroom with a wall that joined the bathroom, were liberal minded enough that they would not say anything.

Of course, Sally was very tempted to pop her head up from under her covers and congratulate them on getting back together, but she did not want to make them feel embarrassed. So she remained quiet, and pretended to be asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the juicy peachshipping in this chapter. Please let me know as I love reviews.


	3. Graduation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after brings with it some awkward moments between Yugi and Anzu.

As morning broke, things became a little awkward.

While Yugi woke up feeling quite contented and wanted to remain cuddled up with Anzu, she did not seem to be comfortable with him holding her.

"It's not you Yugi, it's my parents. I don't want them knowing about last night." Having explained to them yesterday, that she and Yugi were nothing more than friends, she was embarrassed about them finding her and Yugi so close together.

Hearing their voices from the bedroom and fearing they were about to enter the sitting room, she wriggled free from his arms and ran into the bathroom for a shower, leaving him all alone.

They had barely said a word since.

The men had just been banished from the kitchen area, while the women made a hearty breakfast to keep them all going for the day ahead.

Not wanting to endure the wrath of the women, the three men did as they were told.

The two elder men were chatting about their passion for playing golf. Yugi had very little interest in golf and was watching Anzu as she busied herself with setting cutlery on the small table.

He was still processing what had happened between them last night. It had given him hope.

But now she was avoiding him and it hurt.

Did she really regret having sex with him that badly?

He wanted to go over and hold her in his arms. He wanted to kiss her soft lips. He wanted to tell her that last night was not a mistake and that he loved her. He regretted the harsh words he had used when he had broken up with her and wanted to explain that she was not selfish for wanting to live abroad and have a successful career. If anyone was selfish, it was him, for wanting her to come home to Japan and marry him.

However, with everyone else in the same room, that was out of the question.

He needed to find a way of talking to her privately, so that they could clear the air before leaving for the graduation ceremony, otherwise this awkward situation between them would only persist and ruin the day. And the longer they left it the more awkward it would become.

Anzu felt embarrassed. Yugi was looking at her and it was unnerving. He was probably thinking what a slut she had been last night.

Intimacy between them had always been slightly reserved. Their first time had been awkward and shy, and even though they had become a little more confident since then, he was still very polite and gentle with her. She had often wanted to suggest they try and spice things up a bit but had been too restrained to suggest they try new things.

But last night had been different. It had been wild, exciting and impulsive.

She had practically assaulted him like a nymphomaniac and he had responded like a man full of lust.

The way he ripped off her nightdress and ravished her was so not like Yugi at all – it was amazing! God! What sort of primitive noises must they have been making while she was bumping and grinding in his lap?

She had not let him see the little bruises that littered her breasts and collarbone this morning, where he had been nipping and sucking on the skin. It was probably her fault for sitting in his lap like she had.

There was no way she could wear the summer dress she had planned to wear today! The neckline was too low.

She glanced over to where he was sitting. He was still watching her with tired, hooded eyes. She felt herself blushing and quickly looked away again.

Shit! What if she was pregnant? She had stopped taking the pill some months ago because it had started to give her headaches and nausea. It had seemed pointless taking it when she was not having regular sex. Last night it had not even crossed her mind that they should use protection. Stupid! Stupid! It could ruin her career aspirations.

Most of his semen had run onto his thigh when she lifted herself off him. But those little swimmers were tenacious, weren't they? There were probably dozens of them still inside her, swimming blindly, instinctively along her Fallopian Tubes towards their goal!

Yugi was still watching her. She looked at him again and this time their eyes lingered.

Relieved to have caught her eye, he tried to offer her a nervous little smile but she looked away again. Something was bothering her and he was worried that she was annoyed with him.

Forgetting herself for a moment, Anzu groaned and rubbed her tummy. She had a whole week and a half to spend worrying until her next period was due.

Her mother was placing the plates on the counter, ready for the food to be served up, when she noticed her daughter's anxiety. "Are you okay sweetheart? Not too nervous about today are you?"

Anzu did not know whether to burst into tears or laugh. "A bit," she grimaced. Did her mother think she had a nervous stomach? "I'm more excited than nervous." Best put last night to the back of her mind for now and hope that her fears do not become reality.

"Breakfast is ready!" Sally's mother bellowed.

Yugi was the first to get up and go over to get his breakfast. He was starving and it smelled good.

"Do you want tomato and beans?" Sally's mother asked. He nodded and confirmed that he wanted everything.

Clutching his plate of eggs, bacon, mushrooms, beans, tomato and hash browns, he cleared his throat and stuttered hesitantly. "D.. do you want to come and sit with me Anzu?" The small dining table only seated four people. It had already been decided that the parents would sit at the table, while the three young adults would sit in the lounge area.

"Yes! Okay!" She sounded a bit stressed.

Yugi allowed her to sit down first and then he sat down next to her, as close as he could get without touching her.

They ate silently, listening to the chatter of the adults at the table.

Shovelling in his last mouthful of food, Yugi chewed thoughtfully and sneaked a glance at Anzu out of the corner of his eye. She caught his look and gave him a friendly, but slightly uptight smile.

"Are you okay Yugi? Only... you haven't said much." She was getting really fed up with this weirdness between them.

"Huh!" She thought he was the one being quiet?! "I'm fine. A bit jet-lagged, but I will be okay."

"Oh! Are you sure?" She imagined he was probably thinking about her naked on his lap, bouncing and... horny and... It was starting to make her irritable. She did not want to be irritable, or pregnant, on her graduation day. She nearly screamed, but instead, raised her voice just a little. "Look! If it's something I've done?"

"It's not!" He barked, immediately regretting that he sounded snappy. "Sorry," he almost whimpered. "You haven't done anything wrong." Last night she had done everything right. It was this morning that felt wrong. "I'm just tired from the jet lag," he added, in way of a pitiful excuse.

"Please promise me you won't do a Jonouchi and fall asleep during the commencement?" It was said teasingly, in an attempt to break the ice, but it still sounded like she was pissed off with him.

"Of course not!" He was surprised she could even suggest such a thing. But he smiled anyway and did his best to sound pleasant. "I'm too proud of you to fall asleep. I can't wait to see you receiving your degree."

"Thank you Yugi," she instinctively rubbed her shoulder against his and Yugi wondered that if they had not both had plates in their hands, they might have hugged and said they were sorry for being ratty with one another.

Their slightly raised voices had caught her mother's attention. Something was wrong. She recognised the awkwardness and tension in their body language. She was well aware that they had tried to have a long distance relationship but had been unable to make it work. It was hardly surprising, considering the length of time they had been apart. Her daughter's decision to continue living in New York had been the final straw. In fact, she was actually surprised to see Yugi here at all after her daughter had been on the phone to her, crying because they had split up over it. "Why don't you two go and spend some time together after the graduation ceremony?" She suggested. "I'm sure you both have lots to catch up on."

Yugi nodded brightly. He was so thankful to Mrs Mazaki for her suggestion. Giving Anzu a nice, hopeful smile, he looked at her pleadingly. "Would you like to go for a drink or something after?"

Anzu hesitated a moment and then nodded "Yes, I would like that Yugi." They needed to talk and it might be their only chance with such a busy day.

Mister Mazaki dabbed his chin with his napkin and looked over at them. "I see your new game is getting good reviews Yugi."

"Yes. Thank you. It's doing far better than I expected," he replied, modestly.

"I can't wait until it gets released over here!" Said Sally, excitedly. "Is it easy to play?"

Yugi chuckled. "Well, I think it is. But then, I designed it." Everyone laughed.

"Being a gaming champion obviously has excellent rewards!" Mister Mazaki stated, in a slightly barbed tone. "Only I see you have bought the building that used to be Sasaki Nakajima's old cycle shop!" Unlike his wife, he was being less diplomatic. His daughter had known Yugi for many years, and even though he had often voiced his reservations about the boy's interest in Anzu, she continued to see him. The boy was likeable enough, but he had doubted his ability to be able provide for Anzu should they marry. But despite his appearance and timid nature, the lad had grown into a fine, confident young man, who was already achieving far more than the majority of his peers. If Yugi were to ask for permission to marry Anzu, he might consider giving his blessing.

Yugi was not aware that he was being judged as a potential son-in-law. He was more concerned that Mister Mazaki had just let the cat out of the bag by openly asking about the house. He had wanted to keep it as a surprise and tell Anzu when they were alone. It was the ace up his sleeve in hoping to persuade her to come home and live with him. And now it had backfired.

"Oh! Yes, I have. I er..." He glanced at Anzu who was giving him the withering look he, Jonouchi and Honda always feared.

Meanwhile, Mrs Mazaki was chastising her husband for stirring things up. Be it unwittingly or deliberate, she knew her husband had always had it in for Yugi. She knew he disapproved of Yugi's appearance. Given the choice, he would choose a salary man for their daughter to marry, over a punk kid. But Mrs Mazaki knew her daughter had ambitions beyond that of a housewife and would never be happy with life as the wife of a salary man.

Yugi was smiling at Anzu apologetically. "It... it was going to be a surprise."

Anzu was a little hurt to find out due to her father's slip of the tongue. Okay, so she and Yugi had split up. But if they were to ever be a couple again, major purchases, such as their future home, would have to be a joint decision. To buy such a large property, with a business attached to it, without asking her what she thought about it, made her feel insecure. It was like he had decided that she no longer had any say in the decision making. "I would have been happier if you had involved me a bit more."

He frowned. "I'm sorry. But we broke up and it... Do you forgive me?"

She pouted at him and sighed. He was right, they were not dating. She had no right to tell him he should ask her first. "Yeah, of course I forgive you Yugi. But it would have been nice to know about the house before hand. We're supposed to be best friends!"

"I thought you would be happy about it," he said, sadly. "The shop closed down, and when it went up for sale I thought it was ideal for what I had in mind. It was a bargain so I snapped it up before someone else did."

Anzu was very intrigued. She knew the bicycle shop very well; they had all bought their bicycles there. But she could not imagine Yugi running a bicycle shop. "What do you plan to do with the shop Yugi?"

He carefully took her almost empty plate from her and placed it on the coffee table with his own. He then took her hands and gazed at her with a serious expression. "Well," he swallowed nervously, ignoring the hopeful looks on the faces of everyone else. What if she hated the idea? "I remembered something you once told me. So, I thought I could convert it into a dance studio for you... or... something," he faltered. Her hand in his was tense and curled into a ball. She had shuffled away from him slightly and did not look overly excited. In fact she looked a bit unsure.

Way to put my foot in my mouth! He thought, cringing.

"That's a wonderful idea Yugi," Anzu's mother beamed. "Isn't it Anzu?" The question was barbed.

Concerned about her lack of response, Mrs Mazaki studied her daughter.

Feeling her mother's eyes bore into her – just like they did whenever she had misbehaved as a child – made Anzu feel really shitty for not being more excited and grateful. "Yes, it is. Thank you, Yugi." She remembered telling him all about her dream to one day run her own dance classes. How did she tell him that her dreams had evolved and that she was no longer in any hurry to have her own dance studio? Maybe in ten to fifteen years, but not now!

Yugi felt his heart sink a little, but sharing his mind with Atem had taught him to be stoic. His gamers instinct also helped him to hide his dented feelings, but to some extent it still showed.

Sally wanted to kick her friend for hurting him. Lately, she had noticed how Anzu's dream of stardom had become an obsession. It was almost as if she was prepared to sacrifice everything and everyone she had always held dear in order to achieve her goal.

Maybe she could make her friend see sense before she pushed away the man she did not realise she was in love with, and whom she also took too much for granted. "I think it sounds amazing Yugi! I wish I had an awesome boyfriend who was willing to buy me a dance studio." Anzu shot her a glare, but Sally continued unperturbed . "Have you got any pictures Yugi?" It was not lost on Yugi, how she seemed more excited about it than Anzu was.

"I will show you some pictures I have on my I-pad, if you like?"

Everyone was enthusiastic. But his main concern was Anzu. To his relief, she was also smiling and nodding. Maybe she was warming to the idea.

"I have to warn you," he stated. "Jonouchi insisted on being in most of them. He's got this idea that he looks dangerous brandishing a hammer and chisel!" He was relieved when Anzu rolled her eyes and giggled.

"Typical Jonouchi!" She tutted "I hope you're not letting him loose while you're away?" She fixed him with a look he knew so well.

"-erm..." he scratched his head.

"Yugi...!" she exclaimed, albeit jokingly.

"He's not that bad!" Yugi defended. "In fact, he's good at carpentry, remember?"

Anzu did remember. He had built much of the set for their 'Carnival Games' plot back in high school. She also remembered Goro and his bunch of thugs smashing it down, and how Yugi had been the only member of the class to try and stop him. It had been about that time she first realised that she liked Yugi as more than just a friend. Those feelings were still there and were stronger than ever.

But she did worry that he had bought this house just to try and impress her, and quite frankly, she did not feel she had done anything to deserve it. All she had ever done was string him along and then leave him for a new life in New York. She just hoped her sacrifice would be worth it.

As she watched the video of Yugi, narrating and making witty remarks at the way Jonouchi was wielding the orbital sander, a hammer drill and a saw, in an attempt to look like a professional tradesman, she was seriously starting to miss her old friends.

::::::::::::

Arriving at the graduation venue, Anzu and Sally were whisked away backstage to prepare for the commencement ceremony, while Yugi and the girls parents, were ushered into the main hall and directed to their seats.

After a while, the girls filed into the hall and sat at the front, some way away from where he was sitting.

It was actually a bit of a long boring wait for Anzu to be called up, and as the Principal droned on and on, he really did fear he might fall asleep.

When it was finally Anzu's turn to step up, he perked up.

A huge sense of pride surged through him as he watched her gracefully ascended the steps onto the stage.

One of her biggest worries had been tripping over her gown and making a fool of herself in front of everyone. But she did not go sprawling as she had feared she might. And in Yugi's eyes, she was the most graceful and beautiful girl in the world.

Watching her being honoured instead of him, for a change, gave him a such a lovely warm feeling inside. As the King of Games, he was always the one receiving the honours. Fans would notice him and literally ignore his friends. But they never complained – well, maybe Jonouchi did.

But Anzu had always stood beside him and been his number one supporter.

This time, however, the roles were reversed, and he could not have been more happy for her if he tried.

Her determination and perseverance had brought her this far, and even though he would like her to come home to Japan with him, he was now beginning to understand why she was determined to stay here.

It was her dream, and if anyone could make a dream come true, Anzu could.

And what sort of man would he be to deny her that dream?

Tears welled up in his eyes and he sneakily pulled out a tissue to wipe them away before anyone noticed.

Even if it meant he eventually lost her, he would not stand in her way.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It was a bit of a filler chapter, but hope you enjoyed it none the less.


	4. Party Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anzu and Sally are invited to a graduation party and due to a lack of communication, Yugi thinks he is not invited.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh, but all typos and silly mistakes are my own.

In celebration of their graduation, some of Anzu and Sally's friends had arranged to meet up in the evening at a popular bar and restaurant, and the two girls had been invited. There would be food, music and dancing. Soon they would all be going their separate ways and it was one last chance for the class of graduates to get together. Yugi was not with her backstage, so Anzu was unable to confirm that he wanted to go, but he was always easy going about things so she accepted without hesitation.

However, they did feel guilty about leaving their parents to fend for themselves. Both sets of parents had flown thousands of miles to visit their daughters and they were about to abandon them to go partying with friends. But they really did not want to miss out on tonight.

After they had finished receiving their degrees, they found Yugi and their parents, and feeling rather guilty, they asked their parents if they minded them going.

Their parents did not mind at all and when they arrived back at the apartment, their respective fathers gave them each one hundred dollars spending money.

"Dad!" Anzu blushed, feeling uncomfortable about accepting the money.

He gave her a lovely smile. "Go and have a good night out with your friends." Through his warm smile, Anzu could see the love he held for his only daughter glistening in his eyes.

She knew that it would have been much cheaper if she had gone to a dance school in Japan. But as a child, the cost of her dream had never occurred to her. It was only as she grew older and came to learn how her parents had scrimped and saved for many years to enable her to study in New York, that it truly dawned on her.

They had set up a trust fund; even going without nice holidays or new cars – all for her dream.

In the early months of moving to New York she had been homesick, and there had been several wobbles where she had found it hard and had doubted her ability. But she had come through it all with a first class honours degree and was relieved that she had not let them down by dropping out during those low moments.

"Thanks Dad." She took him by surprise when she threw her arms around his shoulders and kissed his cheek. "I love you Dad!" He took a moment to compose himself before hugging her back. Anzu then hugged her mother.

Meanwhile, Sally and her parents were sharing a similarly happy family moment.

Having taken a seat at the dining table, Yugi watched them with mixed feelings. It was nice to see the love Anzu and her parents felt for each other, but it also made him Feel a bit like he was intruding. He was also a little unsure if he was actually invited tonight! Anzu had not said anything to him to confirm if he was, and he was unsure if he should just invite himself to tag along, or not.

In truth, he was actually a little miffed that Anzu had not spoken to him about it first, because it had kind of ruined his plan to take her out for a quiet meal so that they could discuss their future.

But what right did he have to think she should consult him first anyway? Tonight would be her last chance to hang out with the friends she had made at college. He could always take her out tomorrow instead, but he was not sure he could hold out for that long.

He waited until they had finished their hugs before speaking. "You probably don't want me there tonight. So I should probably stay here." It came out sounding a little more petulant than he had intended.

Anzu was stunned by his words. He had not said anything when she first said they were going, so why was he being like this? She had automatically assumed he would be coming with her and could not understand why he would feel that he was not welcome. Okay, so she had not actually asked him to go. But she did not think she needed to!

She opened her mouth to speak, but Sally got in first.

"Of course you're invited Yugi!"

Yugi's facial muscles twitched into a hesitant smile. "O..okay. Thanks." He would have preferred the invite to have come from Anzu. "But only if it's okay with you, Anzu?"

The way his eyes fixed on her with such doubt, made Anzu's heart lurch. "Yugi!" She said, full of concern. "Of course I want you to come!" She wanted to ask him what was wrong but was hesitant in front of the others.

"We should probably start getting ready soon!" Sally announced, feeling the need to freshen up and change into something less formal.

Anzu nodded. They actually had plenty of time before they needed to leave, but she could use the time to get Yugi to herself so that she could ask him what was bothering him.

She turned to her parents. "Can Yugi and I use your room to get changed in?" Even though it was actually her room, her parents were using it for their stay, so she was asking out of respect for them.

"Yes, of course you can." Her mother smiled warmly. "It's your room!"

Anzu grinned at her mum. "Thanks Mum! Come on Yugi." She grabbed his hand and pulled him into her bedroom with her. "Let's go and get ready."

"But I don't need to change!" He protested. "I will be okay in this, won't I?" His suit was smart, and if he removed the tie, he would be smart casual.

She quickly closed the door behind them. "Yes, you are fine in what you're wearing. But we need to talk. What's wrong Yugi?"

"Nothing's wrong!" He responded, far too sharply. She frowned at him disbelievingly and was about to press him further, when he quickly added. "I wasn't sure you wanted me there tonight."

He sounded hurt and it upset her. She was sure that was not the only thing bothering him. "Why would you think I didn't want you to come?" She internally berated herself for sounding like a mother hen.

Yugi could rattle off a list of reasons. Stupid thoughts had started entering his head. He knew he should not have been spying, but he had peered over her shoulder and caught her texting someone called Nathan. He had not seen exactly what she had been typing, but whatever it was, she had not tried to hide it from him when she realised he was looking.

Jealousy was such an ugly emotion, but he could not stop himself from snapping. "Who's Nathan?"

She rolled her eyes. "He's a friend! He arranged this evening."

"So, there's nothing going on?" He narrowed his eyes at her accusingly. She recognised that look. It was a defensive one that Atem would use when he felt threatened and wanted to intimidate someone. She did not like Yugi using it on her.

"For God's sake Yugi! What's got into you?! I was actually asking if it was okay to bring you! And besides, Nathan is more likely to be interested in you than in me."

Yugi was a bit take aback by that and cringed slightly. Feeling suitable admonished, he raked his fingers through his hair. "I'm just not very good at this. What happened between us last night took me by surprise and my mind has been going crazy ever since."

Anzu blushed as the details of her riding him came flooding back. She had tried to dismiss them into the recesses of her mind, but the worrying thoughts about pregnancy returned. She couldn't possibly worry Yugi with her fears. Not unless she actually did find out she was pregnant. "Yugi..." she breathed, "was last night a mistake?"

"No!" He replied, looking surprised. "Do you think it was?"

"I don't know. I enjoyed it," she admitted, blushing. "But I feel so embarrassed. We're not even dating. I hope you don't think I'm a slut for behaving like I did?"

He gasped. "Why would I think that? I love you. I would never think that!" He closed the gap between them and put his arms around her, bringing her close. "I'm sorry for being a jerk about tonight. But I'm really terrified that you don't want to be with me any more," he admitted, closing his eyes tightly and nestling his face in her hair. It smelled so nice – like fruit and vanilla cream.

Anzu slipped her arms around his lean waist and held him close. He had matured so much. No longer a weedy teen, his body felt firm and strong – just as it had last night. Last night was going to keep haunting her. "Yugi?" She faltered. Would it help if she told him she was worried she might be pregnant? She opened her mouth to tell him her fears but stopped herself: no, it wouldn't help. Instead she asked. "Am I stupid for wishing it will work out between us?"

"Of course not!" He said, firmly, his voice smooth and silky in her ear. "You're not stupid. I wish the same thing." He stepped back, took both of her hands in his and smiled at her. "I will admit, it's not easy with you living here. But I thought that if I bought the house and converted the shop into a dance studio, you would change your mind – stupid, I know."

"No, not stupid," she muttered, quietly. "It's a lovely, kind, thoughtful gesture. If anyone is stupid, it's me." She let out a sigh. "You're always so understanding. The last thing I expected was for you to get angry with me when I said I was going to live here permanently."

"Not like me, huh? I'm sorry if I did get angry. I was more angry at myself. I acted like a jerk. But when you told me you were staying in New York, I kind of flipped. I had no right to accuse you of abandoning your real friends. You have dreams of being a dancer and I'm proud of you for that. But I also want you to be with me. Is that selfish?"

"No. I know I called you selfish, but I didn't mean it. If anyone is selfish, it's me. I am doing what I always wanted to do and I didn't consider that I might hurt you if I stayed here. I actually thought that if you really loved me, you would come to New York and live with me. Now, that is selfish."

He nudged her playfully. "Yeah, it is." Feeling some of the tension he had been feeling ease a little, he let his shoulders relax. How had his shoulders even become that tense?! "We are still friends though, aren't we?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

She nudged him back. "We will always be friends." There was a moment of silence before she spoke again. "I'm so happy that you still came for my graduation."

"I wouldn't have missed it for the world. It means a lot that you invited me." He took a deep breath. "But don't think you have to invite me to your party tonight. I will understand if it's just for you and your college friends."

"I want you to come as my special guest, okay?"

"Okay," he grinned, "Am I fine like this? Or should I get cleaned up a bit?"

"Maybe just a quick wash and shave." She playfully rubbed her hand over the slight beard growth that was starting to appear on his face. Thinking of him with manly, designer stubble gave her goosebumps and she shivered. "Maybe leave the stubble. It's kind of..nice." She was too embarrassed to say sexy.

He chuckled and planted a quick kiss on her lips before heading for the bathroom.

Anzu smiled as she watched him leave the room. There was still so much they needed to say if they were to make their long distance relationship – if that was what it was – work.

Squeezing some toothpaste onto his brush, Yugi gazed at his reflection in the mirror. He felt a little better, but things were still not perfect. There was still some tension between them; an uncertainty that they were both afraid to consider.

If their relationship was going to endure, then he needed to be the one who made it succeed. He doubted that once Anzu got signed up to a ballet company and was travelling the world, performing on stage most nights, she would be able to find the time to come home.

She would also be part of something that was so different to the world they had both grown up in. It was a world he could barely understand.

::::::::::::

They arrived at the party at seven. A booking had been made at an Indian restaurant for twelve people from her group of graduates.

Although they were not best friends with all of them, Anzu and Sally knew most well enough to chat with.

Yugi noted that not one of them had brought a boyfriend or girlfriend with them from outside the school, making him feel like the odd one out.

He felt even more like a gate crasher when there were not enough places set out.

The restaurant had pushed several tables together to lay out twelve places. And he made thirteen.

"I knew this was a bad idea," he whispered to Anzu, grimacing. "I should go."

"Don't you dare," she hissed, linking her arm through his and holding him there.

Much to his relief, her friends were all very nice about it.

"Hey! Everyone, move up so we can squeeze Yugi in?" A young woman who appeared to have helped Nathan organise the evening, ordered. Everyone moved willingly.

"Yugi can sit here, next to me!" A girl with pink highlights in her hair cooed seductively. In response, Anzu held his arm a bit tighter.

The waiter set another place at the table and Yugi was able to sit down next to Anzu, with a sandy blonde haired guy called Ryan on his other side. Yugi felt much more at ease when he discovered that Ryan was a fan of Duel Monsters. Maybe the evening wouldn't be so bad after all.

Yugi had never eaten Indian food before. But most of the group were regulars at the restaurant, so Yugi let them guide him on what was best to order.

"If you want something about the same strength as your mum's curry Yugi, then those ones are good," Anzu told him, pointing at a panel on the menu that listed curries that were 'medium hot' .

"Hot?!" Yugi looked at her nervously. Although he had never had one, he had heard all about very hot Indian curries from his well travelled grandfather.

"Believe me Yugi. I have had your mum's curries; you can handle those."

"Okay," he nodded, choosing one that sounded nice.

A huge pile of poppadoms arrived, along with a selection of pickles. Yugi politely declined the raw onion relish!

Since the people around him were celebrating, the beer and wine flowed freely. He was handed a large bottle of Indian lager and a tall glass. He wasn't usually a drinker, but being a bit nervous among a crowd of people he did not know, and with the speed everyone around him was drinking, he polished off the first bottle much quicker than he would have otherwise. Another was soon handed to him.

Beside him, Anzu seemed to be merrily guzzling the wine.

He had always underestimated his own social skills and was pleasantly surprised that he seemed to get along well with the group around him. It did not occur to him that most of them were in awe of his fame and were really taken by his easy going, friendly nature. They were really keen to know how he got his hair to stay up like that! He grinned and told them he dried it upside down, and with a bit of gel, it just stayed.

"Wow!" The girl with pink hair, who was already very tipsy, giggled. "Is it soft? Can I touch it?" He was not sure what to say in response to that and looked to Anzu for support. He did not want people rubbing greasy, food covered fingers through his cherished locks.

"I don't think that's a good idea with food around, do you?" Anzu quickly responded.

The girl was already getting up and staggering around the table.

Ryan had heard Anzu say "no" and had noted Yugi's dislike of the idea. He got up and grabbed 'pink haired girl' around the waist, before she could plunge her hands into Yugi's hair. "He doesn't want you groping him Courtney!" He spun her round to face away from Yugi.

"Sh...poil shport Ryan," she drawled, shaking him off and smiling seductively at Yugi. "Maybe later?" She purred.

If Yugi was not already flushed from the alcohol and spicy food, he would have blushed. "Maybe," he replied, very non committal and adding, "not!" Under his breath, quietly.

Having repelled Courtney, Ryan sat back down. "Man, what's your secret with the ladies, Yugi?" He snickered.

"I don't know," Yugi responded, sheepishly.

"Don't encourage Courtney," Anzu whispered to Yugi. "She's a bit of a... you know? Throws herself at guys. She's even worse when she's drunk."

"I'll try to remember that." He blinked and tried not to focus his gaze on Courtney, who was now sitting back down, just across and to the left of him. She was blurry and he realised had drunk too much.

No one wanted desert, but everyone had coffee. Yugi was glad for something other than alcohol. Better not risk making a fool of himself by drinking himself silly. Much to Jonouchi's delight, he was an absolutely stupid, uninhibited drunk.

As well as serving food, the restaurant usually had live music later on in the evening. Tonight's act was a DJ, who played the sort of hi-intensity dance music that Yugi did not like very much. But he did play some dance classics as well, which made it bearable.

Of course, his companions loved all of the music. If it had a good beat, they could dance to it. They also seemed to know the DJ, which was probably why they had chosen to come here tonight.

It was inevitable that in a group full of dancers and performers, Yugi would feel like he had two left feet. He might be the King of Games, but he was certainly not the King of the Dance Floor and he had no intention of even trying to be.

He was quite content watching Anzu dancing to the music, but she and Sally had other ideas. "Come on Yugi? You can't just sit and watch!" They shouted over the noise, each grabbing a hand and pulling him off his chair. He liked that chair!

"I'm rubbish at dancing," he groaned half-heartedly, while grinning at them stupidly.

The two girls pushed him into the middle of the dance floor, where their friends were all pulling dance moves that would probably cause him to slip a vertebrae if he tried them.

Guided by Anzu, he started to dance as best he could – which, in the company he was keeping, was pathetic.

At first, she held his hands and danced with him. But when a cheesy pop song started up, she squealed with excitement and grabbed another guy, whom he vaguely recalled being introduced to as David, and started dancing with him to a routine they obviously knew.

Feeling abandoned, Yugi stepped aside and let them continue – they were pretty good.

The song was 'You're The One That I Want' from the hit film and musical 'Greece'. The students had performed the musical for the end of term show and Anzu and David had starred in the lead roles of Sandy and Danny. They were relishing the chance to reprise their roles.

Their friends had asked for the song to be played. And, anticipating it, they had already formed a circle, clearing a space for them to dance. Yugi found himself pushed aside, as they all stood in an arc clapping and bobbing in time to the music.

He knew they had performed the musical at the school because Anzu had told him about it. But he had not been there for the show and was not really sure what he should do.

He usually suppressed his jealousy, but the way she had suddenly abandoned him in favour of this other guy was making his blood boil.

He knew it was wrong to feel this way. Under normal circumstances he would understand that they were just dancing and it would not bother him. But he had been drinking. And he knew from a previous experience where he had been encouraged to drink, that too much alcohol tended to make him a bit crazy.

He needed to get away from here, before he did something he might later regret. It would be fun if he still had the Puzzle; with its ability to start Shadow Games, he could challenge delicious David to one and then make him dance until his feet caught fire.

But before he could move away and sit down, Sally linked her arm through his, keeping him there.

She bumped hips with him to get him to dance along with her. "They did this dance in the show," she yelled at him. "They looked even more amazing in costume."

"Yeah, I bet they did," Yugi responded, with sarcasm, but she did not appear to hear him.

He was starting to get really irritated at the way David flapped around Anzu, like some sort of silly peacock prancing around a peahen.

Something inside him snapped and he shook Sally off. He very nearly lunged forward to snatch Anzu away from David, but managed to somehow restrain himself, and instead, he turned and barged through the crowd and out through the door that lead to the toilets. Spotting another door he stomped outside and found himself in the smoking shelter.

Coughing at the smog that greeted him, he quickly exited the shelter and found himself in the back street behind the restaurant kitchens. The street smelled of stale cooking from the air vents. He decided that he would much rather be in Domino and could not understand why Anzu would want to stay here.

Feeling stupid for reacting so irrationally, he slumped against the wall.

Meanwhile, the song had finished. Anzu had not noticed Yugi storming off and turned to seek his approval for the routine she and David had just performed, but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Yugi?" She said, hurrying over to a confused Sally.

"I don't know! He just took off." She shrugged. "Maybe he's not feeling well."

Frowning with concern, Anzu squeezed through the small crowd and over to the tables where they had been seated. Yugi's jacket was still hanging on the back of his chair, so that meant he was still here somewhere! Her immediate thought was the gents toilets.

Making her way to the back of the restaurant, she went out into the corridor. "Excuse me?" She asked a couple of people who were standing around chatting. "Have you seen a Japanese guy with black spiky hair, magenta highlights and blonde streaks at the front?"

"Yeah..." one of the men drawled, "Went out for a smoke." He did not sound like he really cared, but at least he pointed halfheartedly at the exit door.

"Thank you." Since when did Yugi take up smoking?! She ran to the door and pushed it open. Stepping outside, she was relieved when she did not find him in the smoking shelter puffing on a Benson & Hedges. Holding her breath, she quickly escaped the smoking shelter and found him sitting on a bench the chefs from the restaurant had placed there to use on their smoking and coffee breaks.

"Hey!" She muttered, approaching him. He looked up at her with a slight scowl. Her heart missed a beat. "What's wrong Yugi?"

Patting the seat beside himself in a gesture for her to sit down, he shrugged. "I just needed some air. Well, what passes for air," he laughed bitterly.

"Yeah, it doesn't smell good out here. Shall we go somewhere else and talk?" She did not fancy sitting down here.

He gestured a thumb towards the door out of which they had come. "I don't fancy going back in that way. Shall we walk around the block?" He stood up and offered her his hand and she accepted it hesitantly. "I'm sorry for being a jerk.. again," he mumbled giving her hand a playful squeeze.

"What do you mean?" She had not actually seen him storm off and was a bit confused. "What's this all about?"

"Nothing." He kicked at a discarded paper cup and started walking slowly. "I think the drink went to my head." He paused for a second. "I got a bit annoyed at you dancing with that guy. He was touching you and I..." He trailed off.

"Yugi!" Anzu groaned, pulling her hand free and facing him. "It was only a dance. It's my profession! If I don't put passion and feeling into my dancing I will never find work! Besides, David is gay."

Was she telling him that all the guys in her dance class were gay to stop him being jealous? "They can't all be gay!" He snorted derisively. "I guess that makes you flirting with them okay then," he grumbled sarcastically, more to himself than to Anzu, but loud enough for her to hear.

Anzu had also had more to drink than was sensible. And as a result, she could see two Yugi's standing in front of her. If she was not so annoyed with him, she would have let out a snort of laughter – she had once dreamed about having two Yugi's.

When Anzu was drunk she had a tendency to say things that were out of place or antagonistic, and mixed with her anger at him for saying something that would be more at place rolling off Kaiba's tongue, she let him have it. "If you have a problem with me dancing, Yugi, just say so, okay? Because I'm fed up with your accusations and moods. It's not like you to be a jerk and I don't like it!"

"Moods! You're the one who has been acting strange."

"Strange? What do you mean by that?" She snapped, in surprise.

"Last night." He looked down at his shoes. "I still don't know where the hell we're going with this! I thought we had split up! Although I came here for your graduation as a friend, I had hoped we might talk it through and work things out. But when you... threw yourself at me last night, I..."

"Threw myself at you?!" Anzu was incensed, and he knew instantly that he had spoken out of turn.

He flinched. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to say it like that..."

"Then how did you mean it?!" She had her hands on her hips and was glaring at him. She was so close, their noses were almost touching.

He felt as though he should be intimidated into admitting he was wrong and apologising, but he wanted this resolved so he squared up to her. "Okay! Last night was awesome. I thought it meant we were back together as a proper couple. But now you're behaving like you wish it hadn't happened. You didn't even seem happy when I told you about the house! If you don't want me, just say so, because I'm sick of being strung along like the pushover you all think I am."

"I don't!" She spluttered. "That's not!" She was unable to get her words out properly and tried to compose herself so that she wouldn't scream at him in a fit of drunken pique and then start crying. She tried again. "I'm sorry if I haven't given you my undivided attention! But in case you haven't noticed, today has been busy. And of course I'm happy about your house" She let out a frustrated groan. "I knew this was a bad idea."

"What?! Me being here? Having sex with me last night?!" He was raising his voice.

"Yugi! Shhh... Keep your voice down. People can hear," she blushed, looking around at the passers by. None of them seemed the least bit interested in the quarrelling couple.

Yugi raked a hand through his hair and growled in frustration. "What has happened to us Anzu? We never used to argue."

"I know," she muttered sadly. Her anger was rapidly deserting her and she was now close to tears. She was unable to look him in the eye for fear of him seeing her cry. God! Why did too much wine always make her spiteful and tearful? She turned away from him. "We've been avoiding facing our problems for too long, Yugi. We get drunk and now we're acting like idiots and saying hurtful things."

"Yeah... I know." He took a breath in through his nose and let it out loudly. Ugh! Big mistake; someone had just walked past smoking a cigar. He turned away, coughing.

Anzu patted him on the back, lightly.

"Thanks," he chuckled. "Shall we go back to the restaurant?" And carry on avoiding their problems.

Anzu nodded. They started walking around the block, towards the front of the restaurant, but Yugi stopped walking again. They had to sort this out once and for all. "Answer me honestly Anzu. Do you still want us to be together? If not, I will go home and you won't hear from me again."

His words sounded ominous and Anzu thought she detected a hint of resignation and impatience in his voice. Anzu did not want to face the thought that there so many problems with their relationship that they could not be resolved?

She felt her heart lurch and she nearly toppled over – must be the wine. Yugi quickly grabbed her arm to hold her upright.

She may be drunk, but she needed to deal with this rationally. She did not want to say the wrong thing and risk losing the friendship of the young man she had always loved so much. But it was still evident that their future together was far from certain. "I wish life wasn't so complicated. Were we naïve to believe a long distance relationship would be easy?"

He nodded. "I think we were," he huffed "–still are. I love you Anzu. I even have this foolish dream about us getting married. The dance studio is my way of showing you that I want to give you the world! But it's still not enough, is it? Our dreams are too different."

Anzu was crying now, so he put his arms around her. Anzu clung to him and buried her face in his neck. Underneath the smell of cologne and Indian food, was the unmistakable Yugi scent that she always found so alluring.

"Of course I want to be with you Yugi. But I can't ask you to wait for me to finish my career. It's not fair. I know it will take hard work and dedication and a lot of luck, but I'm determined to be successful. I want to earn my place in the New York Ballet and travel around the world, dancing in the most famous locations."

"But I can help you do all that," he offered, in a small voice. He already knew that she would reject any financial help he offered. She had always made it clear that she wanted to be independent and did not wish to feel indebted to him – or anyone else for that matter. And then there was the real possibility that one, or both of them, would grow tired of always being apart and fall out of love with each other and in love with someone else.

It had not escaped him that Anzu would always be surrounded by fit, strong, athletic male dancers, with whom she would have more in common. He had always wondered what she saw in him in the first place! Although he had worked to improve his physique, he knew he was still a fairly short, unfit gamer with poor posture. He did not understand the world of dancing and musicals at all! He did not stand a chance if she were to fall in love with some Nureyev wannabe!

Not wanting to let her go, he buried his face in her hair and held her tight.

She shook her head against his collar and sniffed. "I've made your shirt all wet and snotty Yugi. Sorry!"

"Doesn't matter," he replied, caressing her soft, silky hair with his lips. "So... what was last night? Break-up sex?"

She stepped back and regarded him in surprise. She almost slapped his face for saying such a thing, but stopped herself. "Of course it wasn't! It was genuine love." When he cocked his head and gave her a slightly sad but hopeful smile, her heart skipped a beat. He looked so sexy. "Okay, so it might have been lust." She playfully slapped his shoulder. "Don't look at me like that!"

"Like what?!" He was playing innocent now. "You didn't properly answer my question about break-up sex?"

They were standing underneath the awning of a patisserie that was now closed for the night. A few raindrops were starting to fall.

"I don't want us to break up or fall out, if that's what you're implying?" She mumbled, barely audible.

Yugi reached out with his hand and gently wiped the tear-stained streak of mascara from her cheek.

"We need to work out what we're gonna do, though." he said more seriously. "We can't keep pretending everything's okay."

"Do we have to? I'm drunk and so are you. Can't we just have fun and then just see what happens next?" The truth was, she could not face the possibility that there was no way to make it work between them. When she had come here to study dance, she had held onto the foolish schoolgirl fantasy that it would be easy.

But she was now a grown woman and was starting to realise that it was never going to be that easy.

If she was going to make a successful career, she would need to be strong enough to take knock backs. There were hundreds of hopefuls who dreamed of stardom, only to end up either working in bars, restaurants or strip joints. Many gave up and went home. Anzu had no intention of giving up and going home. She had submitted her CV to the New York Ballet and she was confident that she would be invited to audition.

But did her single minded determination really mean that she would have to choose between her dreams and the man she loved?

She had once suggested that he could duel on the lucrative USA pro-circuit. But Yugi had made it clear that he would have nothing to do with the pro-circuit because it was run by the mafia and the matches were often fixed. He also felt that because of the match fixing, the standard was poor and the integrity of some participants was questionable.

"Maybe we could just wait and see..." he answered, looking into her eyes with loving concern. What was going through her mind? "-But I'm not sure that's the best option. What do you think?"

Anzu wrapped her arms around his shoulders and shivered. In just a thin dress and sandals, the rain was making her feel chilly. His warm body was comforting. "No, it's not, but it's better than having to choose between you or my career." Why were women always the ones to have to choose between a career, marriage and babies? If she was pregnant, her career would be screwed anyway.

"I want you to know that I would never make you choose," he said, wrapping his arms around her again. A gust of wind blew around her bare legs, making her shiver in his arms. "Are you cold? We should go back inside." His lips were so close to hers as he spoke, and Anzu could smell the beer and spices from the food he had eaten on his breath. As their lips drifted closer, she hoped her own wine and onion bhajee breath did not put him off.

Around them, people caught out in the rain ignored the kissing couple as they scurried along the side-walk, eager to get to wherever they were going.

After only a few moments, Yugi pulled away from their kiss. "Sorry," he mumbled, voice so low and deep that it made Anzu quiver.

"Why are you sorry?" She asked, lovingly cupping his jaw with her hand. He shrugged.

"I... I don't know..." he was hesitant. "All it does is complicate things. But I wanted to kiss you."

Anzu did not really know what to say in response. She had wanted to kiss him too. She wasn't even sure who had initiated the kiss!

Smiling at him, she took his hand. "Let's go back inside. It's getting unseasonably chilly out here."

Agreeing, he followed her back into the restaurant.

The moment they reached their table, Sally came swaying over to them. "An...zu! You've been crying! Are you guys okay? I thought you'd gone! You left your jackets behind."

"Everything is okay! We were just talking. Besides, we wouldn't have gone without you... or our jackets," said Anzu, with a touch of humour.

Sally and Anzu had spoken about Yugi several times, and Sally knew all about her friend's dilemma over him. In her inebriated state, she suddenly saw herself as an expert agony aunt and match maker. "I love you guys," she slurred, throwing an arm around each of them and steering them into an empty booth seat. "You can't split up! You look so cute together!" Yugi and Anzu looked at each other and blushed.

"It's... er... We're not." Anzu cleared her throat. "We haven't decided anything yet Sally."

"Well, then that's good!" She sniffed back a tear and giggled. "Look at me welling up over my friends splitting up for..." she belched, "-ever. Sorry!"

After being outside for twenty minutes, Yugi and Anzu had sobered up a bit; at least enough to start seeing things a little clearer again. "I think... perhaps we should go home. It's getting pretty late," Anzu stated firmly.

"But the night is still..." Sally started to argue. "Yeah... shit! I'm furkin drunk."

"Let's get you home." said Yugi. Standing up, he helped her to stay on her feet when she nearly fell over.

Sally threw her arms around his neck and held onto him. "He's lover...leee," she giggled, stroking his hair. "If you don't want him Anz.. I do..."

Anzu rolled her eyes. Grabbing their jackets, they headed back out. One or two people accosted them to say goodbye, but most were either too drunk, or having too much fun to notice them leave.

The place was already thinning out anyway.

Once outside, the fresh air hit Sally and she started to sway. She had to be supported to prevent her staggering into the road.

If Yugi had not caught her in time, she would have fallen down the steps into the subway.

"Sally!" Anzu gasped with exasperation. "I've never seen you get like this!"

"I feel sick," she groaned in response.

"Don't you dare throw up." She was worried that Sally would get them arrested.

"Are there any toilets?" Asked Yugi, looking around.

Anzu shook her head. "Not down here." But before she had time to think of something, Sally had leaned behind a pillar covered in advertising and chucked her guts up.

"Oh crap!" Anzu groaned, linking her arm through Yugi's for some comfort.

"What do we do?" Yugi wanted to heave his own guts up at the aroma and noise Sally was making.

The pair stood with their backs to Sally and tried not to breathe in too deeply, as they shielded her from view.

Sally staggered back to them and apologised. "Can we get home before someone finds my up-chucked curry?" She pleaded.

The good natured side of Yugi felt bad for whoever had to clean it up. He felt that they should at least go and report what had happened to someone. However, the girls felt it better that they just got on a train home as quickly as possible.

Arriving back at the apartment without any further catastrophe, they let themselves in. It was half past one in the morning and both sets of parents had already gone to bed. But they had very kindly placed the sleeping mats and bags out for when the trio arrived home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed. Please leave a review or some kudos.


	5. Hangover Cure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Slightly hungover from the night before, Yugi and Anzu go for a jog in Prospect Park.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I probably should mention that I have never been to New York, but I have friends who have been and I have seen plenty of pictures, so at least I can picture it a bit. I actually googled good places to run in New York, so if what I have written is wrong, blame google. Lol
> 
> Warnings: Minor cursing, hangovers and also some adult content.

The following morning, Yugi awoke with a terrible headache and extreme tiredness, brought on by his continuing jet lag and the stress of an eventful evening and too much to drink.

He rolled over to check that Anzu was still sleeping alongside him, and was relieved to see that she had not moved away during the night.

A few feet away from Anzu, Sally was snoring away heavily. He looked across at her and frowned at the memory of her throwing up in the subway. She was going to have a terrible hangover when she woke up.

He slipped out of his sleeping bag quietly and tiptoed to the kitchen area to get some water.

Gulping down the first glass he felt much better. He refilled his glass and placed it down on the counter, before tiptoeing to the bathroom.

When he returned, he picked up his glass of water and went to lay back down.

A bleary eyed Anzu nuzzled his shoulder. "Is that water?" She rasped, peering at the glass in his hand, which he was trying not to spill.

"Yes," he nodded, holding it out to her.

She propped herself up on her elbow and took it from him, gulping it down. "Ahhh, that's better." She snuggled back down and then muttered. "What time is it?"

"Eight," he said, quietly.

Groaning that it was too early, she got up and staggered to the bathroom.

Giving a little snort of amusement, Yugi watched her. His body clock was still all over the place and he did not think he could get back to sleep again now. He wished he had been able to arrive a day earlier so that he could have got more rest and adjusted himself to the time difference a little better.

Returning from the bathroom, Anzu got back into her sleeping bag. Leaving the zip open, she snuggled against Yugi. Smiling, he pulled his own sleeping bag over them both and cuddled her. The pair looked like two pea pods pressed together in their green sleeping bags.

Just when Yugi thought he might actually fall asleep again, Sally's parents got up to make themselves some breakfast. Moments later, Anzu's parents appeared.

Anzu poked her head out from their nest. "If you're making tea, Yugi and I would like some," she muttered, sleepily.

Yugi sat up and rubbed his bleary eyes. He still had a heavy head, so maybe some tea would help.

They heard a groaning noise as Sally squirmed inside her sleeping bag, giving her the appearance of a giant slug – she felt like one this morning too.

Frowning at her daughter, Sally's mother threw open the curtains.

"Argh... Turn the lights off.." Sally rasped hoarsely. Very slowly and with a pained expression, she sat up. She expected no sympathy and got very little.

Crawling out of her sleeping bag, she staggered to the bathroom and stayed in there for quite a while before emerging again, showered and cleaned. But she still looked a pasty shade of greenish/grey with matching baggy eyes.

Over a light breakfast, Anzu's parents started discussing what they would like to do today. Anzu's mother was keen to go shopping in some of the famous department stores. Anzu giggled at her father's reaction to being dragged around boutiques.

Sally's parents also had plans for the day, which included their hungover daughter. They had been here for a week already and would be flying home first thing tomorrow, so they wanted to take Sally out for a treat. As rough as she was, Sally felt obliged to go with them.

Yugi did not want to go shopping with Anzu's parents, but did not wish to say anything that might offend them. "I might stay here, if that's okay? Only, I really could use some more rest. I still feel jet lagged," he said, pleadingly, in the hope they would be understanding.

Anzu wouldn't have minded going with them, but they were here for another five days and Yugi was going home tomorrow evening. She really wanted to spend today with him.

Her father was a bit disappointed, but accepted that his daughter wanted to spend time with Yugi before he went home tomorrow – there would be plenty of time to spoil his daughter in the days to come.

::::::::::::

After everyone had left, Anzu and Yugi cleaned their teeth, washed and dressed, in comfortable, casual clothing. Anzu opted for a baggy pink tee-shirt, tied at the waist and a pair of black leggings, while Yugi put on a plain, pale yellow tee-shirt and light weight, blue jeans.

"I'm going to phone the agency now," Anzu decided. "Then we could maybe go out for coffee, if you like?" Yugi nodded that he didn't mind and picked up his I-pad to check his messages.

Jonouchi and Honda wanted to know if he'd managed to get Anzu into bed yet? He smirked at the messages they had conspired to send. Those to could be a nightmare sometimes. But he wasn't about to embarrass Anzu by sharing the details of the other night with them, so he just told them they were sorting things out and ended the message with a winking emoji.

He immediately got a message back from Jonouchi saying 'ya dog. I knew ya would!' And a thumbs up emoji.

Yugi wished it could be as simple as his friend probably assumed it was. But after last night, he had been left feeling they were going to continue to ignore their problems. It would be nice if they could make a commitment to one another and he wondered if he should as her to get engaged to him, but he did not want to be too pushy. Their relationship was okay at the moment and suggesting they think about marriage might make it difficult again. So instead, he sat and scrolled through the news on his tablet.

Glancing up at Anzu, he frowned when she clicked her phone off and slammed it down on the table in a huff. He was worried that her call had not gone well.

Anzu felt a bit downhearted when she came off the phone. The New York Ballet had acknowledged that her CV was interesting, but were not hiring inexperienced dancers right now and had filed it or future reference To make things worse, Yugi had his nose stuck in his I-pad and was more interested in that than he was in her telephone conversation.

Yugi glanced up at her from under his lashes. He wondered if he should ask her about the call but she looked like she might burst into tears at any moment. Looking back down at his tablet, he chewed his lip. He would need to choose his words carefully if he were to make her feel better and restore her self esteem. "Hey!" He asked, gently. "Is everything okay?" Putting down his I-pad, he stood up and scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Of course it's not bloody okay, Yugi!" She snapped back at him, and then started crying. "Sorry," she sniffed, feeling mean for snapping at him like that. But she had been feeling so positive and was pinning her hopes on the New York Ballet taking her on as an apprentice for the forthcoming autumn and winter season. It was not his fault that her CV had probably been filed under 'R' for rubbish.

He stepped forward and wrapped his arms around her. "Don't cry Anzu! I'm sure you will get something soon."

She sagged in his arms. "I hope so Yugi." She let out a disheartened sigh. "Maybe I'm being too ambitious. I know how hard it is to get into the New York Ballet, but I had convinced myself I was good enough."

"Hey!" He tilted her chin up and kissed her lightly. "You're not being too ambitious, okay? They're idiots if they don't give you a chance to prove yourself. What did the agency say exactly?" His comforting voice was helping and her tears had stopped.

"They have acknowledged my CV and are impressed with my qualifications and school reports, but they are not hiring apprentices at the moment due to a management re-structure. Or some bullshit like that," she pouted. The rejection was hard to take.

Yugi smiled, softly and reassuringly. "I wouldn't get downhearted if I were you. The fact that they have acknowledged you is good. You never know, they might call you when they start hiring again."

"Yeah, maybe," she mumbled, despondently. "If they haven't shredded my application," she snorted bitterly. "I guess I will just have to keep trying. But I don't want to end up working in the restaurant for ever." She let out a agitated growl through gritted teeth. She was suddenly full of pent up nervous energy and in need of a good workout. With her parents and Yugi here, she had not had time to do any of her usual fitness training.

"I think I might get changed and do a workout," she decided. "It might make me feel better."

"O..okay. Maybe I'll watch," he winked, hoping she wasn't going to make him start doing star jumps and floor running, or something awful that would make his head start pounding again.

Rolling her eyes at him, she disappeared into the bedroom to get changed. Rummaging through her drawer for her sports bra, she suddenly decided that going out for a run might be a good idea.

Yugi had gone back to scrolling through the news when she emerged wearing running shorts and a figure hugging technical top.

"This is interesting," Yugi began, looking up. "Did you know..." He faltered mid sentence when he saw her limbering up by jumping up and down on her toes. His eyes were drawn to those lovely legs and her lithe but beautiful, feminine figure, which looked stunningly athletic in the outfit she was wearing. As she jumped, he admired how her breasts bounced slightly, even though they were contained inside a sports bra. It made his loins heat and he was tempted to throw his tablet over his shoulder and go and ravish her. But instead, he licked his lips and gawked.

Anzu nearly huffed at the stupid look on his face. Why were guys always so obvious? "Is there something on your mind Yugi?"

His face flushed with heat. Was he that obvious? "Erm... yeah! I... Maybe we could do something together?" He doubted she was thinking of the same sort of workout he was currently considering.

"That's a great idea Yugi! But not what's going through your mind right now," she winked. "Get your kit on, we're going for a jog." She smirked at his horrified expression.

"A jog?!" The look on his face was more than enough to tell her what he thought of that idea.

"Don't give me that look Yugi! It's the perfect way to shake off my anger at being rejected. It'll help with your jet lag too." She sounded far too keen for Yugi's liking.

"Is there anywhere to even run in New York?" From what he had seen, New York was pretty crowded.

"You'd be surprised. There's a nice six and a half mile route along the Hudson River – we could turn around at two though, if you find it too much. There's also Central Park, but it can get a bit busy. If you want something less crowded, then there's a nice three mile route around Prospect Park." She sounded so hopeful that Yugi did not have the heart to say no. The three miles around Prospect Park would be a good compromise. And it was not too far from the apartment.

"Well, I guess it might do me good. I can probably manage Prospect Park." He sounded less enthusiastic than he had intended and it made Anzu feel bad. As always, she was imposing what she wanted to do on him and he was too nice to tell her that he did not want to go.

"I'm sorry," she pouted. "I'm being pushy. If you prefer to just walk, that's fine. What would you really like to do?"

Apart from stay here and make passionate love, and then fall asleep with you in my arms? "The jog sounds good! I'm kinda psyched up for it now." He forced a grin.

"Okay!" She clapped her hands together happily. "You did bring some shoes you can run in, didn't you?" She suddenly thought to enquire.

"Yes," he nodded. "I thought we would do a lot of sightseeing so I brought my runners since they're more comfortable for walking miles in. I've also got some shorts and this tee-shirt will probably be okay for running in. "

Anzu nodded happily and continued limbering up by dancing, while he quickly changed into his shorts.

Prospect Park turned out to be a little longer than three miles and with the jog there it added a few more. But Yugi still enjoyed it more than he thought he would. The exercise was really helping him to wake up and get his brain functioning properly again.

They chatted as they ran, but avoided talking about their relationship. And Anzu also avoided talking about her career – she'd had enough of that for one day – and instead, was keen to know more about what Yugi and her old friends were all up to. She was amused to hear that Honda still had not given up on trying to date Shizuka behind her brothers back.

"What's it really like working with Kaiba?" She was barely out of breath.

Apart from his daily routine of press-ups and sit ups, and also lifting boxes in the shop, Yugi had been working flat out on his game and had not found any spare time to go running recently, so he was not as fit and was puffing a bit. "Not.. as... bad as you.. might think. Can we.. slow down a bit..?" She was getting faster and it was getting harder for him to keep pace with her and still breathe, let alone speak.

"Oops!" She grinned and slowed a bit. "Sorry! Is that better?" It was often easy to forget just how fit her lifestyle had made her.

"Yeah, thanks. I've been working long hours the last few weeks," said Yugi, finding an acceptable excuse for struggling so badly. "Not had much time to exercise." It was making him realise that he really did need to find a better work/life balance. This short visit to New York was the first proper time off he'd had in about four months. And even when he did take a day off, he ended up working in the store.

At the end of the 3.6 mile loop, they stopped running. Still bouncing from foot to foot, Anzu gave him a rosy faced smile. She was going to suggest they did another loop, but Yugi was bent over with his hands on his knees, puffing and sweaty. It was a very warm day and he looked a bit knackered.

"Thank you for coming with me Yugi. I really needed to get out and have a good run."

"Yeah, me too," when she gave him a doubtful 'you're just saying that' look, he added "-honestly! I might look like I'm about to die, but I did enjoy it!"

She gave him a mischievous smile. "Cool... In that case, I don't suppose you want to do another lap?"

He looked at her in horror. He absolutely did not want to do another lap. "Go ahead if you want. I will just wait here and collapse on this bench. Is there anywhere I can get some water?"

She shrugged. "Did you bring any money?"

He groaned and shook his head. Neither of them had brought any money so they decided to head back to the apartment.

"What about your second lap?" He teased.

"Another day. Perhaps tomorrow morning, if you're up for it?" She teased him back.

"How about... no," he winked, making her tut at him.

Once home, they kicked off their running shoes and Anzu poured them each a glass of water.

Yugi leaned against the counter and gulped his water down before pouring himself some more. He took a long sip and then placed his glass down. "I think I will go and have a shower." He hesitated slightly. "Maybe we could shower together?" He suddenly realised what he was suggesting and faltered. "I err.. didn't mean... I meant that.. since the boiler is dodgy we should save hot water. If you want, that is?" He wondered if she noticed what a jabbering idiot he was being.

She certainly did notice how awkward he was and raised her eyebrows. She was caught between laughing and feeling sad. After all this time, was he still so shy and insecure around her? "Yugi..!" She began, with a slightly sad whine in her voice. Before she could continue, he cut her off with a wave of his hand.

"Forget I asked.. It's a stupid idea." Feeling embarrassed, he looked down at the floor. "Besides, this time next week, we might have broken up again."

"What makes you say that?"

He shrugged and looked at the floor. "Dunno. It happened before so..." Anzu really did not want to talk or think about break-ups right now and interrupted.

"A shower together sounds like a lovely idea."

"Really?!" His gaze snapped back to her face with excitement and surprise. "Does that mean you really do want us to stay a proper couple?"

Anzu shrugged. "Does it matter if we are or not?" Her time living in New York had opened her eyes somewhat and had broadened her views from the ones instilled into her during her upbringing. She was not promiscuous by any means, but she no longer viewed sex as just being for couples who were married, or getting married. So what if it all went wrong between them again. From what she had seen in college, relationships often went from true love one minute to all over the next. Given what she had seen, she and Yugi were probably doing better than most! She wanted to live for today and show him how she felt about him at this very moment. Forget what might happen tomorrow. "Are you being old fashioned, Yugi?!" She teased.

"No!" He replied quickly, before she changed her mind and he ended up showering alone.

She giggled. "Come on then; before someone comes home and spoils our fun." She grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the bathroom.

::::::::::::

Both wrapped in Anzu's large fluffy towel, they embraced each other. Neither of them really wanted to move, but the need to get dry soon forced them to do so.

Yugi took his time rubbing her towel over her shoulders and back, and in return, Anzu tried to dry him with the ends of the towel. It was a funny tangle of limbs, but it was also intimate and somewhat erotic and they were soon feeling turned on.

Yugi started kissing her where he had bruised her skin the day before. He pulled back slightly and ran his fingertips over the fading, but still noticeable marks. "I'm sorry about these," he blushed, "I didn't know I had even... Sorry."

"Stop saying sorry." She ran her fingers through his wet hair. Even wet it so thick that it still stood up.

She kissed his lips with an open mouth, making him shiver and press his body against her to let her feel how aroused he was.

"Shall we go to the bedroom?" She mumbled against his lips.

Nodding, he followed her. Feeling self conscious and vulnerable, he wrapped his own towel around his waist. It did little to hide his arousal and it made Anzu giggle. Holding her own towel around herself, protectively, she scurried from the bathroom to the bedroom with Yugi in hot pursuit.

"What if your parents come back?" He asked, a little worried.

"My mum loves shopping but doesn't get a chance that often, so I doubt they will be back until late afternoon," she reassured. "They won't know we've been misbehaving." There was a devilish note in her voice and it made him quiver.

But he was still nervous about being caught. "What about if Sally and her parents come back?"

Anzu shrugged. "They won't care about us. After all, we are adults," she winked, shutting the bedroom door. "Do you have condoms?"

"Condoms?" He repeated. "Yeah, I do." Hoping they might get back together, he'd brought some with him just in case. But he hadn't used one the other night and was suddenly worried. "You are.. I mean, we were... protected the other night, weren't we?"

Anzu gulped. Oh shit! Yugi was always so quick to cotton on. But she did not want to worry him unless it was absolutely necessary. It was a burden she intended to carry on her own for the next few weeks. "Yes! Of course we were," she almost squeaked. "But.. but it's just in case. You know, to stop any stuff getting on the bedding. In fact, I might still put a blanket over the bed, since my parents are using it to sleep in."

"Oh! Yeah, alright! I'll go get them." Feeling slightly more reassured, Yugi nodded his understanding and dashed out to grab the small box from his case as quickly as he could, all the time, terrified the front door would open and Anzu's parents would walk in and catch him.

In no time at all, Anzu had pulled off the duvet and pillows and thrown a spare sheet over the bed to protect it. When he returned, he locked the bedroom door. His erection had diminished in the last few minutes, but her towel had slipped off and the sight of her leaning over the bed as she flattened out the sheet, was enough to make him hard again.

She barely had time to finish tucking in the sheet and stand up before his arms wound around her from behind. His advances had taken her slightly by surprise, but she quickly composed herself.

Arching her very flexible back, she leaned into him, moaning as his hands gently roamed every sensitive area of her body they could reach.

Rubbing her buttocks against his erection, she ran her hands over his thighs and squeezed his buttocks, while resting the side of her face against his.

He was intoxicated by her wonderful agility and flexibility and he wondered if he would be able to hold out for very long. He wanted to make it wonderful for her, but at this rate, he was going to explode the moment he was inside her.

She felt him tremble slightly, and then his hand moved between her legs.

Feeling her knees about to buckle, she pulled him down onto the bed on top of her and kissed him passionately.

::::::::::::

She had no idea what time it was, but the sound of the door to the apartment opening and closing, along with voices, woke Anzu up.

Exhausted from their night out and a run this morning, followed by some passionate bedroom gymnastics, they had curled up together on the bed for a post coital cuddle and fallen asleep.

She heard her mother call out, informing her that they were home, and immediately started to panic. Shit! It had been her intention to let Yugi sleep, but had not intended to fall asleep herself.

Pushing herself up to sit caused a comatose Yugi to make a muffled sighing noise, but he remained fast asleep.

"They must be out," her father concluded, from just the other side of the bedroom door.

Anzu jumped when her father turned the door handle. She had not seen Yugi lock the door and for one terrifying moment thought that her father would come barging in to find them both naked on the bed together.

She nearly let out a huge squeal of relief when the door did not open.

Beside her, Yugi grunted and turned onto his side with his back to her, still fast asleep. Poor guy! Must be so exhausted, she thought.

Her father rattled the door handle. "Seems to be locked!" He puzzled. "Or maybe it's jammed."

"Maybe we should check the kitchen drawer?" Her mother answered. "I know the girls keep a tin of spare keys in there."

Fearing they would find the spare key, made her gulp. "Mum! Dad! Is that you?" She squeaked, trying not to sound like she was guilty about something she did not want to get caught doing.

"Er... Yes," her confused father called back. "Are you alright? The door is locked."

"Yes, we're... I'm fine. We were tired and have been sleeping." She chewed her fist. Shit, shit, shit! They're not stupid; they know.

The sound of raised voices finally woke Yugi up. In his confusion, he thought that her father was inside the bedroom. He sat bolt upright clasping his hands around his private parts and looked around the room in horror. "It's not how it looks!" He squeaked.

Beside him, Anzu startled at his sudden outburst. "It's okay Yugi. Dad's outside the room,"

A wave of relief swept through him and he flopped back down, groaning.

Feeling like he had been hit by a truck, he closed his eyes tightly and folded his arms around his head, while trying to get his senses to start working properly again. Crap! They were so busted.

The young couple listened to see if they could hear the debate going on between her parents, but their voices were hushed and they could not quite make out what was being said.

"We will try not to disturb you then," her mother suddenly called out. "Is Yugi still sleeping? He looked so tired this morning. I can sympathise with him over the jet lag."

Anzu heard her father scoff at her mum's comments and it made her cringe. He was old fashioned and hated the idea that his daughter was a grown woman and could do what she liked. He was bound to give Yugi a dressing down for taking advantage of his daughter.

She glanced down at her lover laying there and could see a worried frown underneath his folded arms.

She cleared her throat and tried not to sound nervous and guilty. "It's okay Mum, Yugi's just waking up. We'll get up now." She reached down and gently shook one of Yugi's arms. He moved them away from his face and peered at her. He looked a bit of a wreck with his sticky looking hair, sleep filled eyes and slight stubble starting to appear around his jaw line. "Just behave as if everything is normal?" She whispered.

He grimaced. "I can't go out there, your dad's gonna kill me." He let out a groan of resignation.

"Don't be silly Yugi. Of course he won't. It's about time he realises I'm not a little girl any more and can do what I like."

Yugi huffed. "Your protective dad is worse than Jonouchi is about Shizuka. I'm so dead."

"No you're not. Just get dressed and act like nothing happened."

"Get dressed?!" He was struggling not to yell. "In what? My clothes are out there," he complained, pointing at the door.

Anzu groaned. "Crap! Then, you'll just have to wear my dressing gown and say you showered and fell asleep in that."

He sighed in defeat. He doubted pretending that nothing had happened would fool them. But if he was a condemned man, then he wanted to die in the dignity of his own clothes, not in a pink, ladies dressing gown. "Before I die, I just want you to know, you're beautiful and I love you." Reaching out, he gently stroked her flank, appreciating her beauty for one last time.

Anzu felt completely unashamed at the way he was admiring her. There was so much love in his eyes that she felt her heart give a little flutter.

Leaning over him, she kissed his nose cheek and forehead. He had made love to her with such confidence and passion that it made her wonder where he had gained such experience. He seemed to have learned a few new techniques that had literally turned her into a writhing, boneless mess and she wondered if he had slept with a more experienced, or an older woman during their break-up, who had been teaching him things. Mai sprang to mind and she felt ashamed of herself for thinking such a thing.

"Come on Yugi. Let's go and face my parents now," she said, with resolve.

For some reason, she was no longer feeling worried. Her parents were not stupid; of course they knew what she and Yugi had been doing. And yet it occurred to her that her father had not hammered angrily on the door, ordering them outside to face the music, like he would have done a few years ago. Their reaction seemed to be one of acceptance, which was setting her mind at ease.

When Yugi went to get up, she was unable to resist patting him on the bottom.

He jumped and rolled his eyes at her. "Anzu! Stop messing around! Your parents are outside." She might think this was funny, but he was panicking like crazy.

"I know," she winked. "But I couldn't resist the temptation."

Yugi pouted and pulled her pink dressing gown on. "Just be grateful I don't return the favour."

Anzu raised her eyebrows at him. "I never knew you were into spanking games Yugi?!"

"Stop it! I.. I'm not!" Blushing, he threw her cuddly Kuriboh toy at her. She caught it with ease and cuddled it.

"I remember when you gave this to me," she smiled.

"Yeah, well, get dressed. I would like to get this over with."

"Stop worrying. Believe me, it won't be that bad." She leapt off the bed and grabbed some clean underwear and clothes.

Yugi waited nervously as she got dressed. He was convinced that her parents would take one look at him and know that he had been having very raunchy sex with their daughter.

Anzu opened the door but he was too embarrassed to step outside and go into the living room.

"Don't be so daft Yugi!" Anzu rolled her eyes in amusement. "We're both adults. It's none of their business what we do together."

"But your father..."

"Will not skin you alive." When he gave her pleading puppy dog eyes and asked for some clothes first, she relented. "What do you need?"

"Clean boxers, jeans and a shirt. It doesn't matter which – you choose." Nodding, Anzu skipped outside into the sitting room to get his clothes. He wondered how she could be so blasé about it when he was feeling like the condemned man. He had no idea what he was going to say when he went out there.

Anzu soon came back with his clothes. He looked at her and whispered. "What did they say?"

She shrugged. "They didn't say anything. I just told them you needed your clothes and they nodded and said they were making a pot of tea if we wanted some. I said we did."

Looking doubtful, he got dressed.

As soon as they went back into the sitting room together, her father told them he wanted to have a talk with them.

Yugi gulped. Anzu was wrong, they had decided to kill him after all.

Even though he was terrified, he tried to appear calm. He glanced at Anzu for some support, only to see that she appeared defiant.

Her mother smiled reassuringly and placed the tray down. "These things are always best discussed over tea."

"Yes, thank you Mrs Mazaki." Bowing his head in humble submission, Yugi went to sit down, but Anzu grabbed his hand and held it tightly, pulling him close to her.

"And what is it you want to discuss? She looked at each of her parents in turn. "Mum? Dad?" She was not going to let them pressure her and Yugi into getting married. But she was a respectful, polite daughter and would listen to what they had to say.

She and Yugi sat down at the table and continued to hold hands.

"Your mother and I have decided that it's time we have a talk about you and Yugi." When the young couple both flinched slightly, he held his hand up in a reassuring gesture and smiled. "Don't worry. I'm not angry. I understand that young people view romance, dating and marriage differently from our generation. But I would like to ask what are your intentions toward my daughter are Yugi?"

Yugi could feel his palms starting to sweat. But now was not the time to retreat into his shell and become timid. Mister Mazaki did not wish for his daughter to marry a timid weed. So he sat up straight and spoke with as much confidence as he could muster. "My intentions are honourable Sir. I think the world of Anzu and I would like her to marry me." He looked at Anzu. "But I also respect Anzu's decision to stay here and pursue her career."

"And have you thought about the possible consequences of your relationship?" Her father asked.

"Yes," her mother added. "I hope you are taking precautions?"

Even though her mother's comment hit a nerve, she did not let it show. "Mum! We're not living in nineteenth century Japan! Yugi and I are not ignorant and naïve. We know what we're doing." She wanted to scream but kept herself level. "But we both have ambitions beside marriage and babies. I don't want to be the typical Japanese housewife – you know that! So please...? Don't make us feel guilty." She hoped that her statement didn't come back to bite her.

Beside her, Yugi felt embarrassed. He would marry Anzu tomorrow if she was not so stubborn and independent. But she was a wilful girl and her parents probably knew that better than anyone.

As if reading his mind, her father smiled and reached out to shake Yugi's hand. "You are a good, honest young man, and I would like you to know that should you manage to convince my stubborn daughter to say yes, you have my blessing."

Yugi's chin nearly hit the table. Had Mister Mazaki just told him he was happy for him to marry Anzu? Mrs Mazaki had always been very nice to him when he was growing up. But it had not escaped his notice that Anzu's father was not impressed by his appearance, his physical stature, or his timid personality. He must have thought that Yugi would never amount to anything and would be unable to provide for his daughter. So, to be given a handshake and told by her father that he thought Yugi would make a good husband for his daughter, was a massive compliment.

"Th..thank you Mister Mazaki."

Just at that moment, Sally and her parents returned. They were not quite sure if they had interrupted something important and looked embarrassed. But Mrs Mazaki smiled and put them at ease by offering them tea and invited them to join them.

::::::::::::

As he settled in his seat for the flight home to Japan, Yugi felt positive that he and Anzu could make it work between them.

His final day had been very enjoyable. He and Anzu had been sightseeing with her parents. There was no tension and his relationship with her parents was really good; her father even treated him like he was part of the family.

Anzu had also taken him to the convenience store so that Bob's children could meet him when they came home from school. The excited look on their little faces had been priceless and it made Yugi smile. He'd posed for selfies with them and given them some tips on how to improve their decks.

As the plane taxied out towards the runway and prepared for take-off, Yugi gazed out from his window seat at another aircraft that was just clearing the runway, before it was their turn to take off.

He listened as the engines powered up, and then they were off; hurtling down the runway and into the blue sky above, leaving New York... and Anzu behind.

They banked round and Yugi could see the river Hudson and various landmarks dotted below. He tried to make out Anzu's apartment block but was unable to work out exactly where it was, before the area was out of sight.

Sighing, he sat back, closed his eyes and thought about their last moments together, less than an hour ago.

She had taken the time to come to the airport with him and say goodbye, and he could not help feel the same sense of parting he had felt when Anzu had initially left for New York nearly four years ago. They had made promises then, just as they had done now. The only difference being, they were no longer naive teenagers, full of misplaced optimism about how easy it would be for them to maintain a long distance relationship.

Yugi was under no illusion that they would both have to put in a great amount of effort if they were to make it work. Sitting back, he occupied his time with thoughts of their possible future.

He was distracted from his thoughts by the stewardess. "Anything to drink Sir?"

"Oh! Yes! Can I have a cola please?" He counted out his remaining loose change in dollars and handed them to the stewardess. In return, he was handed a small can and a plastic cup with some ice in.

::::::::::::

As Anzu waited for her subway train, she felt a sense of sadness. Watching him walk through departures and disappear out of sight had been horrible.

His parting words had been filled with optimism about them both finding the time to visit one another. But Anzu knew in her heart that it would more likely fall to him to make all the effort.

She felt bad about making a promise to visit Yugi, but she had not wanted to admit the serious state her finances were in. She and Sally had no money for the rent and been a month behind until Sally's parents had transferred one thousand US Dollars into their daughter's account. Whether it was because they had guessed or were just helping her, Anzu did not know – they had not yet discussed it.

But Anzu knew that her own lack of money meant that there was no way she would be able to fly home to Japan for a visit in the foreseeable future. She was going to have to work her butt off putting in as many hours as possible at the restaurant, while auditioning for paid work as a dancer, just to make ends meet.

If she felt bad about not coming clean about being stone-broke, she felt worse about lying to both her parents and Yugi about it.

However, there was one thing that was looming over her more than her finances. And that was: what would she do if she missed her period?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might be leaving you all with a bit of a cliffhanger, but at least Yugi and Anzu are a couple again!  
> This story is also far from finished and the coming chapters will be a bit of an adventure.


	6. Game Store

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi returns from New York to find his Grandfather is struggling to cope with the workload at the game store.  
> Mai also shows up to help out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick disclaimer to remind myself that I do not own Yugioh.

When Yugi stepped into the arrivals hall of Tokyo's Narita Airport he was unexpectedly greeted by Jonouchi, who had come to give him a lift home. The train he had planned to catch would probably be quicker at this time of day, but he was grateful anyway.

The daft blonde immediately grabbed the weary traveller in a head lock. "Hey Yuge! How was New York?" Jonouchi quickly released him again when Yugi gave him a tired sounding groan and pulled at his arm, which was almost choking him.

"Yeah... It was good." He reached for his suitcase but his friend grabbed it.

"S..okay Yuge! I got it!"

"Thanks," Yugi chuckled, scratching the back of his head.

They started walking to where Jonouchi had parked his tatty old Nissan pick-up truck. "Ain't ya gonna tell me what happened in New York then Yugi? Did you and Anzu get it together?" He made sounded rather lewd sounding noise and gesture.

"Jonouchi!" Yugi blushed, embarrassed at his friend's lack of decorum in the crowded building. But Jonouchi was grinning at him expectantly, so he confessed. "Yes, we did. And no! I'm not going into detail. It's private," he told an amused Jonouchi.

"Neah... didn't expect you to. I just like seeing the look of horror on your face," he chuckled. Yugi rolled his eyes and huffed, following his friend. He wasn't really in the mood for Jonouchi's teasing.

Slinging the case in the back of the pick-up, Jonouchi pulled the tarpaulin over to hold the case in place and fastened it, before climbing into the cab.

Yugi sniffed the air and smiled at the pleasant interior. "Who cleaned up?" He raised an amused eyebrow. The inside of Jonouchi's pick-up was legendary for it's discarded food wrappers and unpleasant odours.

"Mai made me clean it. She said no fun between the sheets unless..." He grinned at the surprised look on Yugi's face. "Yup! We're together, kind of. She turned up out of the blue. She's been helping me put the finishing touches to your bedroom."

"Really?!" Yugi was a bit unsure. "As long as it's not all chintz and frilly drapes," he grimaced.

"Hah...! Ya think I'd let her...?" Jonouchi suddenly stuck his head out of the window. "Fuck off asshole!" He yelled at another motorist. "Sorry Yugi. Damned moron cut me up!"

"Erm...Jonouchi," Yugi chuckled. "I think you cut him up!"

"Whatever... Anyway, back to you and Anzu. When is she coming home?"

"She's not," Yugi heaved a sigh.

"She's not?!" Jonouchi retorted, repeating Yugi's words rather loudly.

"Nope! Long story but I'm too tired to explain it now. Basically, she's decided to live there."

"What?! And she never asked you what you wanted?!"

"It's not really up to me," Yugi shrugged. "But I support her decision. And I will do whatever I can to keep us together."

"Not wishing to be negative or nothing, but haven't you been here before? Like three times already?"

Yugi shot him a sideways scowl. "Well, this time I don't plan to leave it as long before we see each other again."

Jonouchi opened his mouth to remind his friend that he had said that last time too, but thought better of it. He wished more than anyone to see his two best friends make it, but he also knew that the odds were stacked against them. He just had to hope that true love would prevail over ambition in the end. "If anyone can make it work Yugi, you can."

"Yeah," Yugi nodded, sinking into his seat and yawning. He couldn't wait to get home for a nice long soak in the bath, a big bowl of whatever his mother had cooked for his return, and then sleep.

Jonouchi kept quiet and let him doze for a bit.

"Do ya wanna go to your new house or the game shop?" Jonouchi asked, pulling off the motorway, and onto the road that would take them into Domino.

The game shop had always been his home so it sounded weird being asked 'his house or the shop?' "Game shop. All my stuff is still there."

"Okay.. I didn't know if you would be keen to see the lilac and pink, lacy fabric that Mai chose for the curtains," he snickered.

Yugi was not as gullible as he used to be and was not fooled by the joke. "Nah, the frilly drapes can wait until tomorrow. I'm looking forward to some home comforts and my mum's cooking. I don't fancy instant ramen and sleeping in paint fumes," he chuckled.

"No probs. Give us a ring tomorrow morning, when you are ready, and I can meet you there," he grinned. "That's if I'm not still in bed with Mai."

Yugi raised an amused eyebrow at him. "Don't worry, I will try not to disturb you," he paused for a moment. "So, are you two really are back on?"

"For the time being. Until she ups and leaves again." He snorted. "You and Me sure do like the independent chicks, don't we?!"

Yugi laughed. "We sure do!"

"Maybe we should find ourselves perfect little housewives instead. Domesticated women, who are more than happy to cook and clean for us and have our kids." Jonouchi was joking, of course, but there was still a small hint of intent in his voice.

"Seriously?! Mai would kill you if she heard you say that. Anzu would kill you too."

"She'd kill you too for agreeing with me," Jonouchi snickered.

"What?!" Yugi shook his head, but his mouth twitched up, in just the hint of a smirk. "I did no such thing! So don't get me involved."

"Meh... I thought best pals were supposed to stick together?" He huffed, pulling onto the forecourt in front of Kame Game.

"Only up to a point," Yugi replied. "I like to keep my reputation for being a considerate, non sexist man intact." He went to push the door of the pick-up open, but it was stuck. "When are you going to get this door fixed? It's been like this since you bought it!"

"Eventually," Jonouchi smirked. "You need your independent, kick arse chick to open it for you." He laughed at his own joke.

"Ha ha..." Yugi growled at him in mock amusement. Putting all of his weight behind it he shoved his shoulder against the door, and with a loud, rusty hinged creek, it opened, causing him to almost fall out through the opening. "Just, get it fixed before it kills someone," he grumbled, stepping down onto the forecourt.

Jonouchi clambered up onto the back of the truck and retrieved Yugi's suitcase for him.

"Smell ya tomorrow then Yuge!"

"Yep! Will do." Yugi grabbed the handle of his suitcase and wheeled it towards the shop. "Thanks for the lift," he called back.

Jonouchi put his hand up in acknowledgement. "It was no problem!" He climbed back into the pick-up, and with a crunching of gears that made Yugi cringe, drove off, back to Mai's flat.

"Yugi shook his head in amusement, before going into the shop. "Hey Grandpa! I'm home!" He called out, but it was quiet.

Frowning in puzzlement, he wandered to the rear of the store to find that empty too. He then looked out by the bins and in the garage, but there was no sign of the old man anywhere. It was not like Grandpa to leave the shop unlocked and unattended.

Yugi flipped the closed sign and locked the door. It was getting close to closing time anyway.

Lugging his case upstairs, he found his grandfather sitting at the dining table eating fish, rice and vegetables.

"Hey Grandpa! Did you know the store..." He did not get to finish his sentence.

"Ah! There you are Yugi! I've been looking all over for you. I had no one to mind the shop while I had my supper."

Yugi scratched his head. "Yeah..." he frowned. "Have you forgotten I've been in New York for Anzu's graduation?"

Surogoku looked at him with a bemused expression. "Of course I hadn't! I just thought you would be back earlier today." He pointed at the large pan of rice on the stove. "Help yourself if you are hungry. There's a pot of tea here too."

"Thanks, I will." He sat down opposite his grandfather and poured himself some green tea. "The flight was on time. I thought I told you I would be home between six and seven. I was a bit worried when I found the store unattended and still open."

Sugoroku looked at him with surprise. "Are you sure?! I could swear I locked it."

"No. It was open."

"Dammed old age," Sugoroku laughed about it, but he sounded frustrated.

Yugi frowned. He had been too busy to notice how forgetful his grandfather was getting. His mother had mentioned it, but she was always complaining about the old man anyway, so Yugi had thought nothing of it. But maybe there was something going on with his grandfather that was of concern. "Have you had a medical check up lately?"

Sugoroku dismissed him with a wave of the hand and a scowl. "You sound like your mother. I have already told her I'm in tip-top shape for a seventy seven year old!"

"O.. okay. It was just a thought. I know you're pretty good, but the shop is busier these days and you work long hours. Maybe you should get some help so you can take more time off."

"I would if my grandson was around to help out like he promised he would be," he retorted, with a slight hint of sarcasm.

"Sorry Grandpa." Yugi felt bad. Thanks to his fame and collaboration with Seto kaiba, Kame Game had become the main retail outlet for selling duel related merchandise and Kaiba Corp. products. Unfortunately, Yugi had been so busy with media commitments and developing his game, he had hardly any spare time left to help out. His mother helped with the mail orders when she could and his friends occasionally lent a hand, but they really needed to employ someone else. There was only problem: his grandfather was not keen on the idea. It was a family business and he wanted to keep it that way.

"Look, I know you don't want to employ someone outside of family, but I really think you should consider it. It's not good for you to work twelve hours a day at your age."

His grandfather shot him a pleading look. "I was hoping that now you have finished making your game, you would come back to work in the shop full time?"

Yugi leaned his elbows on the table and rubbed his hands over his face and through his hair. He let out a sigh. "I have product launches and a few commitments as the King of Games that I have to attend, but I will see what I can do." He also needed to discuss the new project Kaiba had asked him to manage. If he could work there three days and maybe do two or three in the shop, then he might be able to juggle his time effectively. But he also wanted to work on his house.

At this rate, he would never get any time off to go and see Anzu in New York!

::::::::::::

The following morning, Yugi felt trashed. He had been awake half the night worrying about Grandpa's health and working out ways he could balance work and his life. It seemed an impossible task.

He originally planned to use today to potter around his house and get his body clock back in sync. He had even told Seto Kaiba that he was not home until tomorrow, so that the CEO would not demand he go into the office! But after last evening, he felt obliged to help out in the shop and give Grandpa the day off.

"Are you sure Yugi?" Sugoroku seemed more concerned for Yugi than he was with himself. "You look tired. Please don't feel you have to do this just for me."

Yugi gave him a nice smile. "I want to Grandpa. You enjoy your day off. I messaged Jonouchi and he's coming over at ten; I will get him to give me a hand with the on-line sales backlog."

Grandpa beamed. "I knew I could rely on my Yugi."

After Sugoroku had gone up to get dressed, Yugi's mother turned to Yugi. "I didn't like to say anything in front of him because he gets annoyed. But he forgets things. He often puts things down and loses them too; a lot more than he used to."

"What do you mean?" Yugi was concerned.

"Please don't be alarmed Yugi. It may be nothing; after all, he does work too hard for a man of his age. But I worry he might be in the very early stages of Alzheimer's."

"What?! No!" Yugi gasped. "Not Grandpa!" He shook his head in denial. He would never believe that his strong willed, quick witted, lively grandfather could succumb to a disease like Alzheimer's. Grandpa meant the world to him. His father was away so much that his grandfather had more or less been his role model growing up. He had taught young Yugi so much about gaming history and strategies. The old man might be a bit daft at times, but his mind would always be as sharp as a pin.

"I have suggested he gets tested. But of course, he refused," his mother went on to say. "Perhaps he might listen if you suggested it Yugi?"

Yugi looked sad. "I already did when I got home yesterday. He said I was sounding like you."

Sighing, his mother sagged slightly.

"Perhaps all he needs is a holiday!" Said Yugi, more brightly.

"Maybe," his mother nodded. "I have been doing the internet orders. But I have also had to take over more of the accounts as he seems to get in a bit of a muddle with them. He never used to be like that."

Yugi frowned. Grandpa had always been good at adding and subtracting. He could do it in his head as quick as a flash! It had been integral to his role as a master gamer. "Maybe we're worrying over nothing. Just because he's not as mentally agile as he used to be, it doesn't mean he's going senile. Maybe he's just becoming like most old people."

"Yugi! Just because someone gets old, doesn't mean they all lose their minds!" His mother rolled her eyes at him.

"Grandpa hasn't lost his mind!" Yugi snapped back at her, still refusing to believe it. "What I meant is that Grandpa has always been sharper and more active than most people. Perhaps he's just slowing down to become more like other people his age."

His mother nodded her understanding. "Perhaps you're right. But we should keep an eye on him."

They both went quiet when Sugoroku came back into the room. He looked at them strangely.

"We're you talking about me?" He said, with a hint of accusation.

"No!" Yugi replied defensively, but grimaced at his mother's response.

"Yes! We were just discussing how stubborn you are about not going to the doctor for a medical check. Yugi agrees with me that you should go."

Grandpa glared at Yugi with mock solemnity. "And I thought I could trust you to be on my side Yugi."

"Grandpa! It's not about taking sides," Yugi sighed. "We're just worried you might be stressed and tired from working too hard. Most people your age have retired by now!"

"Yes, well this old man is not ready to be put out to pasture just yet." He scratched his beard in thought. "But now you mention it, I would like a holiday. Arthur has been asking me to go on one last archaeology trip to Egypt with him, before we really do get too old and past it. Unfortunately, I had to put him off because you have been too busy to take over here for me."

Yugi felt so admonished, that he made an impulsive decision. "You should go! Never mind the store; we can manage. How long would you be gone?"

"Well! We were thinking... four months."

"Four months!" Yugi and his mother both shrieked, looking panicked.

"Yes, well, four to six months. But part of that would be planning our schedule. Arthur has already spoken with Ishizu and she explained that Rishid would arrange for us to join one of the tomb restoration projects. We might even get to work in Atem's tomb!" He said proudly.

Yugi felt a little pang of nostalgia and sadness. The word 'tomb' always had such a ring of finality to it. Stupid, he knew, because Atem's soul was not in his tomb and was perfectly happy in the afterlife. But a tomb was a grave, and a grave reminded him that Atem was actually dead.

He forced a smile for his grandfather. "You should definitely go," he agreed. "It will be nice to know his tomb is in good hands. And don't worry about the shop, we can handle it."

"Are you really sure Yugi?" His grandfather asked. "I know I get irritated about you never being here these days, but I do understand how busy you are, and I'm sure you and Anzu will want to spend some time together now that she's home. I'm sure she's keen to choose furnishings for your new home together."

Yugi's expression darkened and a lump rose in his throat. They knew that he and Anzu had been more off than on since she had gone to study in America, but he had lead them to believe that once she came home they would be alright. He had not told them she had decided to live there. "She's not coming home Grandpa. She's staying in New York." He sounded dejected and his mother and grandfather were not sure what they could say to make things better.

"Oh dear," said Grandpa. "When did she decide on that?"

Yugi shrugged. "A few weeks ago. I didn't say anything as I thought that when she came home for the summer holidays, she would realise how much she had missed her friends here and change her mind. I thought she might be excited about the house as well, but she didn't really seem all that bothered."

His mother felt sad for him. "When I spoke to Mister and Mrs Mazaki in the grocery store the other week, they mentioned that Anzu was thinking of staying there to work. But her father was adamant that she would be coming home with them. He doesn't think it is safe for her to be there alone once she leaves college."

"Yeah," Yugi snorted. "She did say her dad wasn't pleased. But Anzu is pretty strong willed and she's determined to get into the New York Ballet."

Sugoroku squeezed his grandson's arm. "Is she not even coming home for a visit? I'm sure once she does, she won't want to go back."

Yugi shook his head. "She's not even coming home for a holiday. Apparently, she has to work and doesn't want to miss out on any opportunities." he shrugged. "If I offer to give her money so that she doesn't have to work, she refuses. She wants to be independent."

"Oh dear!" Sugoroku snorted. "That's what happens when you fall for strong, wilful women Yugi."

"Grandpa! Not helping!" Yugi scowled at him.

His grandfather chuckled in response. "Nothing wrong with a wilful woman my boy! Your grandmother was stubborn as a mule. I fell in love with her feisty nature. But sometimes you do have to put your foot down and make them behave," he winked.

He was reprimanded by a flick of the damp tea towel across the back of the head. "Will you stop filling my son's head with bad ideas?!" Mrs Mutou scolded. "Don't listen to him Yugi. Your Grandmother needed to be strong to stop him from getting himself into trouble."

"I will have you know my dear, that we were a perfect partnership..."

Yugi frowned as he listened to them argue. He already knew that he would not try to control Anzu by laying down the law and ordering her around. That was never a good basis for a relationship and would be the quickest way to end theirs for ever!

"I will leave you two to your debate. I'm gonna go and open up the shop," he said, getting up.

::::::::::::

Since the kids were all in school, the store was quiet for most of the morning.

Grandpa went out to meet an old friend for coffee and a game of Mahjong, while Yugi's mother went to her fitness class, leaving him alone in the shop. He was glad it was quiet and sat down to work on the online orders.

When Jnouchi turned up around twenty minutes later, Yugi was busily packaging action figures to be posted off to their lucky purchasers.

Yugi handed him a batch of address labels and invoices that had already been printed off. "The address label goes on the side of the box, and then you place the box containing the figure, along with the invoice, inside the box and tape the lid shut like this." He finished demonstrating the one he was doing.

"Yeah, think can handle that," Jonouchi nodded, flicking through the handful of invoices that Yugi had given him. Most were for Seto Kaiba.

"Why would anyone would want a statue of old moneybags?!" Jonouchi scowled, as he picked up a box containing a Seto Kaiba figure. "Why can't Kaiba make one of these of me?"

"I asked, but he refused. Believe it or not, there is actually a demand for you!" Yugi grinned.

The cheeky sarcasm was lost on Jonouchi. He smiled to himself as he imagined tons of fan girls queuing up to buy a mini him. "Yeah... I knew I had more fans than that stuck up jerk."

"Actually, Kaiba has a lot of fans. If you look at the order sheets I printed off, there are nearly as many for him as there are orders for me."

"Nah... He's probably ordering them himself. I might even buy one so I can stick pins in it."

The two men both laughed at Jonouchi's joke.

The door chimed, and the pair were still laughing when Mai walked in. She looked at them accusingly. "What is it that's so funny?" It had to be a dirty joke.

"This!" Jonouchi held up a box containing a Seto Kaiba figure.

"Seto Kaiba! What's so funny about him?" She snatched the box from Jonouchi, peered in through the clear cellophane on the front of the box and started snickering."He looks just as stuck up as the real one."

She chucked the box back at Jonouchi. "Hey! Be careful with the box!" Yugi protested. Luckily, Jonouchi caught it.

She winked at Yugi. "I see you have a model of you. Is he as cute as you are?"

Despite blushing, he respond cheekily. "He's cute but not as cute as the real thing." He winked at her. "If you go to the display cabinet, the statues are all on display."

Nodding, she went back to the front of the store to look at the displays in the cabinets. "Hey! Why are there none of me?"

"Kaiba, the jerk, wouldn't even make one of me!" Jonouchi complained.

"I could suggest it to Kaiba again," said Yugi, feeling bad about his friend's bruised self esteem. "I will suggest making one of you as well Mai, I'm sure you would be popular." With her shapely assets, he was sure she would sell well.

With Mai also helping, they made quick work of the backlog of orders and by one in the afternoon they were up to date.

Yugi's mother had returned and made them something to eat. Mai was on a diet and gave most of her food to Jonouchi.

Inevitably, the subject turned to Yugi's relationship with Anzu. "Will you two be getting married now that Anzu has finished her dance degree?" Mai winked.

Yugi's face flushed. "Not for a few years. We're not ready to settle down just yet."

"Is it you who are not ready? or is she not ready?" Mai had not really kept in contact with them that religiously, but had visited Anzu when she was in New York for a tournament a few months ago. Anzu had told her then that she and Yugi had agreed they should split up for a while.

Yugi shrugged. "Neither of us are ready."

But Mai kept digging. "She's not coming home, is she? And I be you are the one expected to make all the compromises. Am I right?"

Yugi scowled at her in annoyance. "It's not like that Mai! She has to stay in New York to stand any chance of work. And I support her."

Mai felt sorry for him. "I'm going to judge a fashion contest in New York in a couple of weeks. Do you want me talk to her?"

"Mai! Back off will ya?" Jonouchi scolded his on off girlfriend. "Yugi and Anzu are dealing with it their own way."

"It's okay Jonouchi," Yugi waved his friend off. "Mai's right," he sighed. "Things aren't ideal. We've both chosen careers that seem to be going in opposite directions, but we're still good friends and are determined to stay together. But if you could go and see her Mai, that would be great! Only... " he hesitated and chewed on his lip. "Only, I am worried about what she might get drawn into."

"Worried?!" Jonouchi raised his voice. "She ain't in trouble is she Yugi?!"

"No!" Yugi quickly answered. "I didn't say anything while I was there as Anzu's parents have already given her a lecture about it. But I do share their concerns that New York might be a dangerous place for a naïve young woman desperate to be famous."

Jonouchi frowned at him. "What da ya mean?"

"Old men that pretend to offer young hopefuls a starring role in a musical in return for sex," Mai stated, frowning at him.

"No way!" Jonouchi snapped. "Anzu would never be stupid enough to fall for that crap!"

Mai rolled her eyes at him. "It has nothing to do with being stupid, idiot! I have seen it many times during my time working on the cruise ship. Young entertainers, desperate to make the big time, being courted by sleazy old bastards offering them money and promises, only to use them and then throw them aside." She suddenly looked downcast. "Why do you think I have so many trust issues?"

Both young men were horrified. She had never fully enlightened any of them with the details of her issues. The only thing they knew about was about her sad and lonely childhood. They had no idea that she had been taken advantage of in that way; she had always lead them to believe she was a strong woman, who was fully in control of her relationships. But it did kind of make sense as to why she had often been difficult to get close to.

"I'm sorry to hear that Mai," said Yugi, sadly. He really hoped that kind of thing did not happen to Anzu.

Jonouchi was more angry. "Who was this bastard? Tell me his name and I will find him and beat the crap out of him?!"

Mai shook her head. "I'm over it, okay? I would never have said anything, but I wanted you both to be aware that no matter how level headed Anzu might be, anyone, male or female can be vulnerable when they are on their own, away from home and desperate for fame and fortune. I promise I will go and see her Yugi. I will make sure she's safe, don't you worry."

Yugi smiled at her with relief. "Thank you Mai."

Mai smiled at him in return. "When do you hope to see her again?"

"I'm hoping she will come to Germany with me in August. It's just after her birthday so I'm planning to stay on after the convention is over and treat her to a nice holiday."

"That will be nice," Mai agreed. "You two were meant to be together, so I know you will be alright."

"Yeah," Yugi smiled wistfully. "I hope so." He did not really know what he would do if they didn't manage to make it work. He had tried dating other girls after they split up, but it had just not felt the same. They did not know him in the way that Anzu did. He could never talk to them about Atem or the adventures he and his friends had been on. They would think he was mad!

With Anzu, he could keep all those memories alive. With Anzu, he could reminisce about their adventures until late into the night, talking about Atem and imagining what sort of things he might be getting up to in the afterlife.

::::::::::::

Later on in the afternoon, when the schools had finished for the day, the shop started to get a little busier. News quickly spread that not only was Yugi Mutou there, but also Katsuya Jonouchi and Mai Kujaku. The shop soon became swamped with teens and pre-teens, all looking to meet their idols.

Yugi's grandfather had returned a little earlier but was tired and had gone up to his room for a sleep. But Yugi knew that if he realised there were so many fans inside the shop, he would be down to insist they make a purchase before being allowed a selfie with the King of Games.

But Yugi was more laid back about it and was happy to chat and pose for photos with fans.

Jonouchi was also enjoying the attention. He was not as famous as Yugi or Mai, but he was still popular – especially with young kids who wanted to learn how to throw a decent punch that would enable them to deal with their bullies.

Yugi laughed as Jonouchi bragged and showed off his muscles. Grinning and posturing, he winked at Mai as he demonstrated how to put power behind a punch. Pretending to be unimpressed, Mai rolled her eyes at him.

Jonouchi was just showing an eleven year old boy, who had told him he was being picked on by an older kid, how to throw a killer left hook, when Seto Kaiba walked in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the banter between the characters as much as I enjoyed writing it.


	7. Hit Me With Your Best Shot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seto turns up at Kame Game to see why so many duel disks are in one place and ends up being dragged into an exhibition duel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the time I post the next chapter, Christmas will be over! So, have a great holiday everyone.
> 
> Please check out my little Christmas story too if you have time.

All eyes fell on the imposing figure of Seto Kaiba standing in the doorway.

Jonouchi glowered at him. "What are you doing here Moneybags?" Distracted, he forgot the kid he was sparring with was in the middle of throwing a punch and lowered his guard. Rather than intercept it with the palm of his hand as he had intended, the punch landed right in Jonouchi's solar plexus. It was not hard enough to double him up completely, but it did make him gasp. The kid whooped excitedly at his mini victory.

Seto was quick to remark on Jonouchi's momentary lapse in concentration. "Even an idiot like you should know to never drop your guard." He smirked disparagingly. Even as the years rolled on, the relationship between the two men was still as vitriolic as ever.

Not wanting an argument to break out in front of all the young kids in his shop, Yugi cleared his throat and stepped between them before it escalated into a full-blown slanging match, or even worse. "Hey there Kaiba! What brings you here?"

Even though they were business partners, and almost friends, Seto still put on a show of folding his arms in a superior gesture as he stared down his nose at the shorter man. He did not answer Yugi's question."I thought you weren't supposed to be back until this evening Yugi?" If he had known Yugi was already home, he would have called him into the office today.

Around them, young kids were getting excited at the prospect that the two might duel.

Yugi was used to Seto's posturing and the lack of respect he always showed towards other people, but he never let it bother him; it was just the way Kaiba was. Unflinching, he stood his ground. "I actually got back last night," he replied, casually. "I had planned to spend the day resting and recovering from the jet lag, but Grandpa needed a day off so I'm looking after the store instead."

"Hmph!" Seto glared at the kids all crowded inside the shop. "Why are all these people here?" His duel server systems had flagged up a large number of duel disks in this location, which indicated that several duels might be about to take place. It had piqued his interest, which was why he was here. He and Yugi were business partners, so if Yugi and his Grandfather were holding a mini tournament without his knowledge, he would not be happy.

Yugi laughed. "Word got out that myself, Mai and Jonouchi were here and they all came in for autographs and selfies. I'm not holding a tournament, if that's what you're concerned about? If I did, you would be the first person I would inform."

Seto grunted. As always, Yugi saw through his motives.

Jonouchi stepped up beside his best friend. "Yeah! Stop hassling my buddy, Kaiba!"

Mai grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Stay out of it."

Before Seto could say something nasty in return, Yugi jumped in and suggested that Seto should join them. He had almost as many fans as Yugi but they seldom got to meet their very inaccessible idol.

Seto gritted his teeth. He preferred to be standing on a platform, looking down on people. But all around him, kids were nodding and grinning and... and they were closing in on him, making him feel irritable!

Adulation was something he desired, being accessible to fans was not. How could he tell them he was not here to be friendly without making himself look like an ungrateful jerk? "Just as long as they don't try and touch me," he hissed.

Yugi just smiled. "Don't worry, they won't if you keep looking at them like that."

"Don't push your luck Yugi," Seto hissed.

Forcing a smile that looked more like a scowl, he agreed to pose for a few photographs. He might not like mixing with fans, but he had stupidly placed himself in a situation where it was unavoidable. As Mokuba always reminded him: fans spent their money on Kaiba Corporation products. Piss off the fans and they might buy a rival's products instead.

The furore in the shop had woken Sugoroku and he came down to see what was going on.

The moment he spotted four of the worlds most famous duelists inside his shop, he rubbed his hands together in delight. What a fantastic financial opportunity.

He soon had everyone organised and the afternoon quickly became a major local attraction. In no time at all, the cash register was ringing up sales.

Yugi noted how a morning out with a friend, followed by an early afternoon nap, seemed to have rejuvenated his grandfather. Or maybe it was the thought of making lots of money!

Many of the kids were desperate to see their heroes in action and Sugoroku was keen to organise a mini tournament. Somehow, Seto found himself being coerced by Yugi and Mai into joining in.

Because the holograms were so large and realistic, they all had to go outside. This attracted yet more attention from people who were just passing by. And to further add to the income, Sugoroku was now selling raffle tickets.

Seto had to admit that he was impressed by the old man's enterprise.

Many of the kids were pleading with Seto to summon his Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon so that they could face it up close. When he begrudgingly obliged, half of the them were petrified. But it still did not stop them daring each other to get up close and try to touch it. Soon, the excited, but terrified screams of the kids could be heard amidst the roar of dragons.

It was inevitable that Yugi and Seto would end up being asked to demonstrate the power generated when their best monsters clashed. The large crowd that had gathered were even willing to pay the fee Sugoroku was demanding to watch the duel.

"How about a tag duel?" Mai suggested. "Seto and I against Yugi and Jonouchi?"

"Or a four way? Last man standing," Jonouchi grinned.

"You wouldn't last five seconds without Yugi protecting you," Seto scoffed.

"Say that after I finish wiping the floor with you, smart ass!" Jonouchi retorted. Of course, the crowd of fans all thought that this was part of the show and started cheering.

The duel was intended to be played more like an exhibition than a serious duel. Over the last few years, Yugi and Seto had played so many choreographed duels for fans who wanted to see their strongest monsters going head to head, that they knew each other's strategies off by heart. It actually made their duels so predictable that there was no real rivalry between them any more. Most of the time, they would just go through the motions for the publicity.

But this particular tag duel was putting the fun back into it for Seto, because standing opposite him was the Mutt. And he and Jonouchi could not wait to pile into one another. It made for great entertainment for the crowd, even if Yugi and Mai did feel a little superfluous in the duel!

Since Jonouchi's life points were the first to hit zero, it meant that he and Yugi should, by rights, lose, but since this was not an official competition, they decided to keep going and make it last man standing.

With one against two, Yugi should have been at a disadvantage. But since he still had most of his life points and Kaiba was down to two hundred and fifty – compliments of his personal war with Jonouchi – Yugi was able to go on the offensive.

Seto had also used up his best cards pulverising Jonouchi, and had nothing left to stop Yugi attacking him. The crowd gasped in surprise when he was eliminated, leaving Yugi facing Mai.

"You against me then kiddo?"

Yugi acknowledged her with a single nod of the head and a trademark smirk. It's been along time, Mai," he replied, imitating Atem's deep baritone.

The voice brought back great memories of her duel with the other Yugi and she shivered in anticipation. Smirking, she winked at him. "You had better be at your best Yugi." It seemed extraordinary that they had not duelled since Duelist Kingdom!

Yugi felt a bit cruel hitting her with the full force of Gandora. He was worried the attack would knock her off her feet and injure her.

The crowd cheered, and as the smoke cleared, he ran over to where Mai had been thrown backwards by the blast and was now sitting on the ground. "Mai! I'm so sorry!" He reached his hand out to her in concern. He should never have attacked her like that.

"Why are you sorry Yugi?" She grinned, quickly scrambling to her feet. "You never apologise when you duel against a man, so don't apologise just because I'm female. I'm a duelist, so treat me like one!"

"Sorry," he muttered, biting his lip.

Mai rolled her eyes at him. "Quit saying sorry and act like you're the King of Games. People will think you're soft."

He almost said sorry again, but managed to stop himself. Young fans were chanting his name like he was some sort of God! He would never be completely comfortable with this adulation, but Mai was right, he was the King of Games! He should acknowledge it and show-boat a little. He pumped his fist and did his best to look super cool, but felt like a total jerk for doing it. The fans didn't seem to notice though and absolutely lapped it up.

Deciding that there had been enough excitement for one day, Sugoroku called time on proceedings.

Not wanting it to end, some of the fans groaned in disappointment, but most were okay with it because they had to get home for supper. Slowly, everyone started to disperse.

Feeling exhausted, Yugi and his friends beat a hasty retreat inside the shop.

Since he did not wish to stand in the street and wait for his car to arrive, Seto went into the store with them so that he could call Isono without getting mobbed by the fans who were still milling around outside.

Sugoroku quickly bagged up the money he had taken. "I'm sure you are all hungry. So why don't you all come upstairs for something to eat?"

"Now, that sounds like the best idea I've heard all day!" Jonouhci smacked his lips and rubbed his tummy. "I starving!"

"You're always starving Jonouchi," Yugi laughed.

"Dueling makes me hungry!" The daft blonde grinned.

Mai rolled her eyes. "Everything makes you hungry."

Seto felt like making pig noises but refrained – that was just a little bit too childish.

Although she was hungry as well, Mai was more interested in the bag of money that Yugi's grandfather was hugging to his chest. "I hope you're going to share that with us?" She demanded, hands on hips.

Sugoroku scowled and pulled his money bag closer. "Well..."

"Yes, of course we will! Won't we Grandpa?" Said Yugi sternly. "We just need to count it up against the till receipts to work out the profit and then I suggest we share the profit out fairly."

"Don't worry about me Yugi. I don't need charity," said Seto. "By the looks of it, the money in there is merely small change anyway," he gloated.

"All the more for us then! You ungrateful piece of..." Jonouchi was stopped from antagonising Seto into changing his mind and taking his share out of spite, by Mai grabbing him and slapping her hand over his mouth.

"So, three ways then?" Yugi suggested.

Sugoroku cleared his throat. "Four ways Yugi! You, Mai, Jonouchi and myself!" He stated.

"What?! But you didn't even duel!" Jonouchi protested.

"Yes, but as event co-ordinator, I..." He was cut off by Yugi intervening.

"Can we stop arguing about money?" Yugi's patience was wearing thin, but he still felt guilty for raising his voice. "I'm sorry for interrupting Grandpa. But Jonouchi and Mai helped me in the shop today so I'm happy for them to take my share. Why don't you three share it between you?"

"Yugi! But you deserve..." Jonouchi started, but this time Seto interrupted.

"Just accept Yugi's generosity and shut up! Otherwise I might change my mind and take my share just to ensure that you get less," he ground out, impatiently.

Never knowing when to keep quiet, Jonouchi opened his mouth to retaliate but Mai shoved him in the ribs with her elbow. "Ow! What was that for?" He screeched.

"Just keep your big mouth shut," she hissed.

"Well, I suggest we all go upstairs to the kitchen and I will count up all this money," Sugoroku concluded.

They all followed him up the stairs and Jonnouchi immediately made a beeline for the big pot of chicken broth Yugi's mother had made. Whenever Jonouchi was over, Hana Mutou always made double the quantity.

She quickly waved Jonouchi away from her stove with her wok ladle and told him to go and sit down.

She had always been handy with the wok ladle and Seto smirked happily at the sight of him being whacked around the back of the head with it.

"Alright! Alright! I'm sitting!" Jonouchi squeaked, scurrying to take a seat at the table. Seto remained stood in the doorway, observing, with an amused expression.

Hana Mutou's glare was suddenly on him. So, this was the frosty, pompous Seto Kaiba, who had such a turbulent history with her son and father-in-law. She had never met him before but had heard all about his reputation for being a bit unpleasant.

She suspected that Yugi and Sugoroku had been economical with the truth about the extent of their confrontations with him, and she was would not be at all surprised to learn that he was the real reason that her father-in-law had suffered that heart attack.

But whatever had happened, her son had moved beyond it all and had forgiven Seto Kaiba enough to agree to work with him. She could hardly throw him out of her kitchen when he was providing Yugi with the expertise and technology that had enabled him to develop the game he had always dreamed of making.

She had also brought her son up to always be forgiving and compassionate, therefore she should show the same levels of kindness. "Well, don't just stand in the doorway young man!" She gestured at Seto with her ladle. "Come in and sit down," she ordered.

Seto shifted awkwardly in the doorway and eyed the dreaded wok ladle. No one gave him orders but he found himself unable to retalliate. Part of him wanted to make excuses and leave, but the soup did smell very enticing. "Very well," he gave a slight nod and tapped the communication device on his lapel. "Wait for me outside Isono. I've been delayed," he informed his personal bodyguard.

Dining with the Mutou family, and the Mutt, was not something Seto had ever imagined he would do in a million years! But as Yugi's mother placed noodles into a large bowl and ladled the broth over them, before setting the bowl in front of him, he felt a strange sense longing for his own mother. He barely even remembered her, but the smell of the broth brought back a long buried, warm and fuzzy feeling from an early childhood memory – before his parents were so tragically taken from him and Mokuba.

Around him, he could hear the slurping sounds of everyone eating their food and enjoying a family meal. A vague recollection of his own family sitting around an old oak table caused a lump to build in his throat. He was struggling with his chopsticks and his father was helping him. Infant Mokuba was sitting in his high chair, banging his spoon on the tray and crying for his mother's attention as she tried to eat. He forced the memory back down and took a slurp of his own noodles. Seto Kaiba was not one to be taken by sentiment, especially not in front of these people.

After they finished eating, Seto excused himself. He could not allow these silly feelings of nostalgia to continue. "I will see you in the office, at eight thirty tomorrow morning Yugi. We have a meeting with European distributors and you need to be there."

"No, I haven't forgotten. See you then. And... thanks for staying this afternoon. You made a lot of kids really happy. It's not often they get close enough to meet you like that."

Seto rolled his eyes. "Well, they had better not get too used to it." He gave a slight smirk as he turned to leave. He was not about let on that he had actually enjoyed it!

::::::::::::

After seeing Kaiba out and locking up the shop, Yugi went back upstairs to help his grandfather count up the takings and work out the profit to be shared out.

Jonouchi was very happy. "This will go towards my travel fund," he beamed.

Seeing his friend happy made Yugi smile. Everyone had dreams, and Jonouchi's was to travel the world to enter tournaments and make an international name for himself.

But Yugi doubted that he ever would because he was far too invested in his life here. He was never able to save any money for his own dream because he had assumed the role of looking after his family. He had come a long way from being a reckless gang member and had grown into a fine, responsible man. Not only had he paid for his father's rehab, but he was also helping Shizuka so that she could go to medical school and become a nurse.

Yugi would have helped him achieve his dream if he could. But his friend had made it clear that he was not a charity case. Anything he got, he would earn.

Of course, both Honda and Yugi helped him out as much as they cold, by sending the odd job opportunity his way: Honda employed him to work in the warehouse at the factory, Yugi's mother often fed him, and Yugi was employing him to do the decorating in his house.

Yugi was impressed with the built in wardrobes he had made. Jonouchi was almost entirely self taught and seemed to have a natural flare for building things – he was even talking of starting his own business partnership with his father (who was now clean) as mobile handymen!

But still, his money always went quickly. Yugi guessed that it was his father's debts that took care of most of it.

"Thank you for this," Mai smiled gratefully. When she had turned up to hang out with the two men at lunch time, she had not expected to end up getting paid! "As you already know, I'm in New York next week, but if you ever need any help in the store, I'm a pretty good asset to have in retail," she winked.

Yugi's eyes lit up. Did this mean that Mai planned to stick around for a while? If so, it would solve a huge problem. It would mean that Sugoroku could go on holiday for as long as he liked, without worrying that Yugi might have to close the store because he was otherwise committed. "Yeah! As a matter of fact we do need someone. Grandpa is planning to go away for a few months and I have no idea how I'm going to keep the shop open regularly."

Sugoroku startled. "But, Yugi! I thought you said you could manage while I was gone?"

"I know I said that Grandpa. But I didn't want you to feel that you couldn't go. You need this break and I figured I would muddle through somehow. It will just mean that I don't get to go and see Anzu," he sighed.

"No way Yugi!" Jonouchi gasped. "You have to see Anzu! I'm not gonna let my two best friends split up for a third time," he stated, resolutely.

"We won't." Yugi grimaced and scratched his head sheepishly. They were all looking at him with concerned expressions. "I'm not gonna let that happen," he stated confidently. He checked his watch. "In fact, I plan to call her this evening."

"Don't forget to let her know I'm coming to New York next week," said Mai. She nudged Jonouchi, who appeared to be content to make himself at home. "We should be going. It's getting late and I'm sure Yugi would rather talk to his girlfriend alone." She winked at Yugi causing him to blush.

Jonouchi was about to protest, but stopped himself. Yugi looked exhausted and could probably use some peace and quiet. "Yeah, see you tomorrow evening Yuge, at your house?"

"Sure," Yugi nodded.

"Do you want me to help in the shop tomorrow?" Mai offered.

Sugoroku's eyes lit up. He was quickly coming around to the idea of employing the buxom blonde. "Yes, thank you Mai. It will be a pleasure showing you the ropes." He clamped his hands together and rubbed his palms in satisfaction at the prospect of having a beautiful woman to help him in the shop. Today had been a very good day indeed.

::::::::::::

After his friends had all gone, Yugi went up to his room to call Anzu. He checked the time and worked out that he should probably leave it another half an hour before calling her as she might still be asleep.

He could use the time to get ready for bed. But first, he needed five minutes of quiet reflection.

Exhausted, he flopped down on the bed to rest and promptly fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> next chapter, we will be catching up with Anzu again when Mai visits.


	8. Anzu's Ordeal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mai visits Anzu in New York.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed the Christmas holiday. Happy New Year.
> 
> Sorry I dragged my heels on this chapter. I just could not get into the right frame of mind to edit and post it as it was one long chapter. But in the end I decided to split it into two shorter ones.

Apart from Yugi, Mai had been the only one of Anzu's friends to visit her in New York.

Even though Mai's primary reason for being in New York was to duel in the lucrative U.S Pro-league, where most of the matches took place, Anzu still appreciated the fact that Mai always made the effort to come and see her once the dueling was over.

During the last couple of years, they had become good friends and often confided in each other about their adventures involving the Pharaoh.

It was comforting for Anzu to have someone who understood how her feelings had been caught between Yugi and Atem. And it gave Mai comfort to be able to talk to someone who understood the pain she had been through following her breakdown and subsequent misadventure with the Doma crew.

Due to a mix up in bookings at the hotel, Mai's usual hotel room was not available, so she told them to stuff it and cancelled her booking. It didn't matter, because Anzu was always offering to put her up at the apartment. The sleeping arrangements were not as luxurious as Mai was used to, but beggars could not be choosers so she readily accepted.

Anzu hugged her joyously. "I'm so pleased you're staying here instead. We can order out and have a girls night in and a chat." Sally was working this evening and there was something very important that she wanted to discuss with Mai. It was something she had been too embarrassed to even tell Sally about.

The two women settled on the sofa to watch a corny old movie, with a box of veggie pizza to share and a bottle of Pinot Grigio.

Anzu still had not plucked up the courage to mention her predicament and was telling herself that it was because she was looking for the right moment.

She sipped tentatively at her first glass of wine. Mai was already re-filling her own glass but Anzu really wasn't sure if she should be drinking alcohol, just in case she did find out that she was pregnant.

"You're taking your time with that Hon. Not sure I want to drink this whole bottle by myself!"

Anzu made a stifled whining noise and forced a smile. "I don't really drink. Upsets my dancing."

Mai shrugged. "Suit yourself." She leaned forward to grab the remote and paused the film. "You seem a bit uptight. Everything okay?"

Anzu grimaced. Was she that transparent? "Yes!" She replied, tersely. "Why wouldn't it be?"

Mai continued to look at her challengingly. "You know you can talk to me about anything? If some old man is harassing you for sexual favours in return for fame, don't fall for it. Trust me, I have seen too many young performers fall for that crap."

Anzu's jaw dropped. "No! It's not!" Her face flushed. She had been waiting for the right moment and now she was making a pigs ear of it. Mai was getting the wrong end of the stick. "It's nothing like that! It's..." Best get it over with quickly. "Have you ever worried you might be pregnant?"

"Yeah, but luckily..." Mai stopped mid sentence and was suddenly looking at her in horror. "You're not, are you? Who?" She checked herself when Anzu glared at her for suggesting she might be sleeping with someone other than Yugi. "Sorry! I shouldn't have said that... Yugi, right?"

Anzu nodded. "Yes, Yugi. And no! I haven't told him."

"How sure are you?"

Anzu shrugged. "I don't know."

"Okay.. They, when did it happen and when were you due on?"

Anzu flushed and waved a hand in front of her. "It was when he was here for my graduation. And I'm due in a few days. But I'm never on time! I don't even feel any different to be honest. I've been going out of my mind ever since Yugi and I, well..."

"You didn't use any contraception, or was it a malfunction?"

Anzu hung her head shamefully. "We didn't use anything,"

Mai was not judging her and Anzu appreciated it when she just nodded in understanding and sucked her bottom lip in thought. "Have you done a pregnancy test? There's no need for you to be worrying like you are. You can buy them over the counter. I've used them myself."

Anzu looked at her expectantly. "So, you've been in this situation before?" It felt comforting to know that she wasn't alone in her ordeal.

"Yeah, twice. But a test should put your mind at ease. There's a pharmacy near here that stays open late. We could go now."

Anzu was hesitant. She had thought about a test but didn't think you could find out this early. Mai's suggestion made sense and she wanted to know, but what if it was positive? She had no doubt that Yugi would stand by her and take care of her. He would make a great father. But a right now a baby was not part of her plan. It would be terrible for her career. "Can it wait until tomorrow?" She grimaced.

But Mai wasn't accepting any excuses. "It's only just around the block. It will only take five minutes. And if it's negative we can enjoy the rest of that wine together," she winked. "Be right back." With that, she was up and out of the door, leaving Anzu groaning and cringing on the sofa.

And if the test was positive? Mai hadn't said what they would do if that was the outcome.

She jumped when her phone suddenly beeped and lit up to inform her that she had received a message. It was from Yugi.

Letting out a distressed sounding whine, she ignored it – she was feeling far too stressed out to even consider contacting him at the moment. Poor guy; he had no idea that thanks to one moment of unbridled passion, he might have fathered her child – their child.

::::::::::::

Oblivious to Anzu's situation, or that he might find out that he was to be a father, Yugi was having breakfast with his mother and grandfather.

It had not escaped the notice of either of them that Grandpa was more energised than he had been in a long time.

However, Yugi was getting a little concerned that his grandfather seemed in no hurry to make his travel plans. "We should think about booking your flight Grandpa. I can do it for you if you like?"

His grandfather pretended to be offended. "Are you in a hurry to get rid of me Yugi?" He pouted.

Yugi's eyes widened. "No! Of course I'm not! I just thought you were keen to get away."

"Well, you don't need to worry, Arthur is finalising the details and it looks like we will be joining a six week dig project at the end of August. But I can't confirm it until I have had my medical. And I was thinking... Since Mai will be working in the store, I might come to Germany with you first, and then fly to California from there."

"What?" Yugi was taken aback by his grandfathers request and immediately felt guilty for his horrified response.

His horror must have been written all over his face, because his grandfather looked a little hurt. Yugi quickly tried to backtrack. "It's not that I don't want you there Grandpa. It's just... I'm asking Anzu to come with me. I was kind of hoping to arrange a birthday treat for her while we're there."

Sugoroku was a little disappointed but did not let it show. He was pleased for Yugi. "Well then, I guess you won't want a silly old fool like me tagging along and spoiling it for you two lovebirds, will you?" He winked, and despite being twenty two, Yugi blushed like an embarrassed teen.

Noticing his embarrassment, Sugoroku smiled at him warmly and reached across the table to squeeze his shoulder. "I'm glad you two are working things out Yugi."

Yugi nodded with a relieved expression. "Yeah, I'm glad too Grandpa." He was keeping it a secret, but since he had her parents blessing, he was planning to ask Anzu if she would become officially engaged to him.

"Do you have plans for today Yugi?" Sugoroku suddenly remembered what he had been meaning to ask. "I was hoping you might look after the shop this morning. I am expecting a large delivery of stock but I have to go out." He didn't want to say it was for his medical, in case one of them insisted on coming with him.

Yugi did have plans and was a little disappointed, but masked his irritation well. It was Saturday and he had hoped to spend some time decorating his house with Jonouchi. He knew his friend would be okay with being left to work alone, but Yugi still felt like he would be leaving his friend to do all the work. "Nothing I can't put off," he replied. "What is it you need to do today?"

His grandfather was quiet for a moment as he tried to think of something. "Well, I..." Luckily, Yugi's mother had already gone to get ready to meet her friend, and he couldn't lie to Yugi. "Apparently, I will need a certificate to prove I am fit to participate in the dig in Egypt. Don't tell your mother, but I have an appointment with the doctor for a medical. That's why I need you to take care of the shop this morning."

"It's okay, I won't say anything to Mum." Yugi knew better than to make a big deal of Grandpa going to the doctor. "What time is the delivery of stock due?"

"Between ten and twelve. I promise I will be back by lunch time, so you can take the afternoon off to do whatever you had planned. And Yugi?" He placed a hand on Yugi's arm. "Thank you."

"It's okay Grandpa," he smiled. "Do you want me to open up the shop for you? It's already eight thirty."

His grandfather gave him a relived smile. "Yes please."

Nodding, Yugi finished his breakfast and went upstairs to get washed and dressed, before opening the store.

He sat behind the counter and sent a text to Jonouchi to say he was going to be working the store this morning and would see him later. He looked to see what time it was and then sent a soppy little message to Anzu to wish her and Mai a fun evening. He accompanied the message with smiley faces with love hearts and kisses.

::::::::::::

When Mai returned carrying a small paper bag, she found Anzu pacing the sitting room. "Hey! That carpet is already thread bare, you don't wanna wear it right through now, do you?"

Anzu stopped pacing and eyed the bag in Mai's hand. "You got one then." Her voice was so flat that it could almost be taken as disappointment.

"Yup!" Mai handed it to her.

Anzu looked at it like it might bite her. "What do I do?"

"Go in the bathroom and pee on it."

Anzu already knew that. But nodding dumbly, dragged herself into the bathroom. Her legs felt like jelly and her belly was rolling. She had a lump in her throat and wanted to throw up.

Sitting on the edge of the toilet, she took the little white wand out of its box and glanced at the easy to follow instructions. Suddenly, it all seemed very real and very scary.

She held it down between her legs, closed her eyes and muttered to herself, as if praying might help.

Sitting on the arm of the chair, Mai was waiting for Anzu to either whoop with joy or come crawling out of the bathroom looking despondent, when she noticed the blue light flashing on Anzu's phone, indicating that she had a notification.

She twisted round to look at it. She knew she shouldn't be nosy but curiosity was getting the better of her so she picked it up to check, only to see that it was a message from Yugi.

Her heart went out to him. Poor guy had no idea, did he? But unless the test was positive, then that was probably a good thing because guys tended to panic far more than girls ever did in these situations.

She drummed her fingers on the table. What was taking so long? She got up and walked to the bathroom. She tapped her knuckles on the door. "Are you okay in there?"

"Yeah.." Came the hesitant reply. "Almost." There, it was all done. She placed the wand on top of it's packet and rinsed her hands while she waited.

"Okay. I'm right here if you need me." Mai called out.

Rushing over to the door, Anzu unlocked it and pulled it open. "I'm all done. Guess we should check." Gingerly, she walked back over to where the pregnancy test was waiting.

"If you are pregnant, a second line will appear."

"Yeah, I know." Anzu screwed her eyes shut as she picked it up. "I don't know if I can bring myself to look." Slowly, she opened her eyes and peered at the result.

"Well?" Said Mai, anxiously.

::::::::::::

Yugi was not expecting Jonouchi to show up at the shop, but was very happy to see his friend. With Jonouchi helping, it would save him having to unpack the boxes, add the contents to the inventory, put everything away or mark it up for display while also trying to watch the shop, all on his own. "Hey Jonouchi!"

"Hey Yug! Want any help?"

Yugi grinned. "You bet I do." He explained everything they needed to do and they immediately got to work. Having two two pairs of hands made the task far easier and they were making fast work of processing the new stock.

Jonouchi was standing on the step ladder, while Yugi passed him the boxes containing small anime figures for him to carefully stack on the shelf in alphabetical order. He peered down at Yugi and watched as Yugi ticked something on his I-pad to confirm the number of figures that had been put into stock. "Hey Yugi? Wonder what them girls are up to in New York. I ain't heard nothing, have you?"

Yugi stood up with an armful of character boxes and shook his head. "I messaged Anzu but not had a reply yet. Its about seven thirty in the evening in New York, so maybe they went out to eat."

"Nah... Bet they're too busy partying and having fun chasing after rich dudes. Bet they've forgotten all about us," he chuckled. When Yugi shot him a scowl, he back tracked. "Hey! I was only joking. I know Anzu wouldn't cheat on ya. Not sure about Mai though. We kinda had a row before she left."

Yugi rolled his eyes. They were always squabbling so he was not surprised? "Anzu told me they would probably stay in this evening. She's working at the gym tomorrow morning and has a shift at the restaurant in the evening, so she will want a decent night's sleep tonight." Just thinking about his girlfriend made him smile.

"I'm gonna ring Mai," Jonouchi decided, clambering down the step ladder. "Can I borrow ya phone? Mine's run outta credit."

Rolling his eyes again, Yugi put down the boxes and picked up his phone. "Maybe I will try ringing Anzu." He tapped on her icon and hit dial.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops! I'm so cruel for leaving it on a cliffhanger.


	9. Love At First Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mai gives Mai a hard time over his slovenly behaviour, and his tendency to eat too much and make a mess.  
> Anzu is working too hard to make ends meet and Yugi wishes she would let him help.

Handing Anzu her barely touched glass of wine from earlier, Mai smiled. "I think you need this," she winked.

Anzu took it and mumbled, "thanks," but just stared at it. "I thought I would be deliriously happy to find out I'm not pregnant, instead, I just feel bad." Yugi had sounded happy when they had spoken a few minutes ago, and knew nothing of the secret that she and Mai were keeping.

Mai gave her a quizzical look. "Bad? Do you wish you were pregnant?!" She took a long sip of her wine, which had been sitting on the table for at least thirty minutes, and pulled a face. "Ugh! This is horrible when it's warm."

Anzu let out a long sigh. "No! Of course I don't wish I was pregnant. I just feel bad for not telling Yugi the truth. I hate keeping secrets from him." Sighing again, she gulped down the whole glass of room temperature wine, barely registering how it tasted.

Mai raised her eyebrows. "Top up?" When Anzu held out her glass and nodded, Mai re-filled it. "You shouldn't feel so guilty. You did the right thing not telling him. There are some things best kept to yourself, and that's one of them."

Anzu frowned. "I suppose you're right. But I think I will tell him when I next see him."

Mai shrugged. "Suit yourself." She gulped the rest her wine. It still didn't taste good. "But I wouldn't tell Jou if I..." She paused and then smirked. "Scratch that. I would love to see his horrified reaction when I tell him he will have to support me and a baby, so maybe I would," she snickered.

"Mai! That's just mean."

"So is telling Yugi he might have been a father but it was a false alarm. If I know Yugi, he will be disappointed."

"You think?!" Anzu shook her head. "No. I don't think so. He's not ready for that level of responsibility just yet."

"I don't think anyone is until it happens." Mai nudged Anzu and tried not to smirk. "Who do you think would make the best dad? Yugi or Jou?" Anzu's horrified expression was enough to make Mai collapse in a fit of giggles.

Anzu grimaced at her in disbelief. "Mai! That's terrible. But... I dunno. I think they would both be great dad's."

"I think Yugi would be better," Mai concluded. "Jonouchi would be great fun for the kiddies at playtime, but he can be an idiot when it comes to common sense."

Anzu became more serious. "You're too harsh on him Mai. I thought it was really courageous of him to say he was sorry, but you threw it back at him. Everyone has faults. I know Jonouchi can be an idiot at times, but none of us are perfect."

"Maybe you're right," Mai conceded. "He's a great guy and he tries his best to please. But he just doesn't think before he does things and I find it so frustrating. I'm not used to having someone else around the house so I get annoyed when he leaves whiskers in the sink. He also eats me out of house and home, he never puts the lid back on the shower gel, and he always leaves the toilet seat up as well," she continued ranting about all his faults.

Anzu placed her hand on Mai's arm. "Mai!" She whined. "Will you stop looking at all the bad things about him and try to look at the good things? I know he still needs to grow up, but he has a big heart and is loyal. He would crawl through burning coals for you and he would never let anyone hurt you. So if you love him and want to keep him, you will have to accept some of his faults and house train him gently. Don't forget, he's lived with his dad for years. So he's not had the best influence."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I worry about the age gap too. Be honest with me. Do you think I'm too old for him?"

"No! Five years is nothing! One of the dancers has a guy fifteen years her junior – now that's a real cougar. Not that I was implying you're a cougar. I.." Blushing, she trailed off.

Mai started laughing. "Yeah, you're right. I'm being silly worrying about such a trivial thing. But I take on board what you say. I will give him one more chance and try to be less hard on him when he gets it wrong or makes a mess."

Happy that Mai was giving him another chance, Anzu nodded and sipped her wine.

::::::::::::

"Harpie bitch! Stuff her!" Jonouchi snarled, bitterly, throwing Yugi's phone down. "I said I was sorry! What more do I have to do to please that woman?"

Relieved his phone was in a tough, shock-proof case, Yugi rescued his phone before Jonouchi tried stamping on it. He felt sorry Mai had been mean to his friend but was a bit shocked at the ferocity of Jonouchi's outburst. It upset him a bit. He was feeling happy and positive about his relationship with Anzu, but the same could obviously not be said for Jonouchi and Mai.

"I don't think she means to be a Harpie," he tried to calm his irate friend. "Don't forget, she's used to being on her own and doing things her way. You moved into her space and she's finding it hard to adjust. And you can be a bit... well, to put it bluntly, a slob sometimes." He recalled his own mother complaining how slovenly Jonouchi was when he stayed over to avoid the wrath of his drunken father.

"Hey! What'd ya mean by that Yugi? I'm the most thoughtful guy on the planet!"

Cringing at how angry Jonouchi was, Yugi grimaced. But he held his ground. "Well.. I didn't say you weren't thoughtful. It's just, well, last time you were here, you left the bathroom in a mess. Mum wasn't happy she had to clean up pee."

"It ain't my fault I woke up with a boner! Don't that ever happen to you?"

"Well... yes, sometimes. But I don't pee up the wall!" Blushing, he changed the subject. "Try buying her flowers or something. That usually helps."

Just at that moment, the shop door chimed and a father and his son came in.

"I got it!" Jonouchi enthusiastically rushed to the front of the store to avoid further questioning about his personal habits.

Panicking that Jonouchi's anger might boil over onto the customers and frighten them away, Yugi followed him.

He need not worry. As soon as the son saw Jonouchi, he came running over, all smiles. It was the same boy Jonouchi had been teaching to fight. "Hey! Jonouhci Sensei! I tried what you showed me and the bully ran away!" He grinned happily.

Flattered at being called 'Sensei' all of Jonouchi's anger faded in an instant and a huge grin appeared on his face. "What did I tell you, eh?" He winked. "Works every time! Anyway, what can I get ya today?"

Twenty minutes later, the boy and his father went away with a copy of Yugi's new game. It made Yugi swell with pride whenever someone purchased his game and he could not stop the huge smile from forming on his face.

Jonouchi had also cheered up and had forgotten all about his spat with Mai – at least, for now!

::::::::::::

When Mai returned to Japan, four days later, both of them seemed to have relented somewhat. Mai forgave Jonouchi and agreed to not chuck him out of her flat, provided he adhered to a few rules. Accepting them, he readily agreed to try and be tidier. But whether he would succeed or not, would remain to be seen.

::::::::::::

The store was expecting a delivery this morning. But Grandpa was sleeping in so Yugi was up early to accept the delivery, which should have been here at eight. Unfortunately, the driver had called to say that his truck had suffered a puncture and he was waiting for roadside assistance to come and repair it. Yugi wasn't too bothered because it would give him time to sit quietly and check his e-mails.

He unlocked the shop door to enable Mai to get in when she arrived for work, but left the lights off and the 'closed' sign showing so that he would not get disturbed by anyone who might think they had opened early.

Taking his mug of tea to the back of the store, he sat down at the small table to check his messages.

Last night, he had forwarded Anzu the details of her flight to Germany, but as of yet she had not replied to confirm she had received it, and he was a little concerned.

He was about to ring her but changed his mind. Hadn't she told him she would be working in the restaurant tonight? He doubted she would be able to take his call. In the end, he sent a message, asking if she had checked her e-mails yet?

Anzu felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She knew she should ignore it but it might be Yugi. She had not even looked at the e-mail he had sent her earlier this morning as she had been working all day. "I need to go to the ladies," she told the other waitress. "I'll be quick."

The girl looked at her sceptically. "But you went ten minutes ago?!"

"Yeah..." Anzu grimaced and clutched her tummy. "Time of month," she mouthed, so that no one else heard. The girl instantly understood her meaning and could sympathise.

Anzu dashed out the back and hid behind the door to the staff room. She wasn't fibbing about her period. Much to her relief, it had started that morning, giving her further peace of mind that she was definitely not pregnant.

She sent a reply, telling him she was teaching gym classes this morning and was now working in the restaurant until midnight and had not read the e-mail. She accompanied it with a sad face, complaining she was rushed off her feet.

Yugi wished she would relent and let him look after her financially. She should not have to work such long hours. He did respect her wishes – at least for the time being. But she should be dancing, not waiting tables.

Trying to cheer her up, he sent her a message of love and encouragement. He would do anything he could to help her. All she had to do was ask.

Anzu hid behind the door to the staff room and read Yugi's much needed message of love and encouragement. But she rolled her eyes at the offer of a monthly allowance.

The road to stardom was proving to be a bumpy one, but she did not want help. Knowing how much he loved her was more than enough to keep her going. But working back to back twelve hour shifts was killing her!

She smiled as she read the message telling her she would soon be dancing on Broadway – if only...

She jumped when she heard her name being called. It was the head waiter and he did not look pleased.

"Sorry!" She scurried out from behind the door, only to see that plates were lining up on the pass.

It wasn't that he usually minded her texting her friends, but they were rushed off their feet tonight. It was Friday night, and like all Friday nights, the restaurant was fully booked. Usually, they could cope, but one of the other waitresses had not come in, so the rest of the staff were having to cover the extra ten tables between them. Anzu did not mind being busy, in fact she liked being busy because it made the time go more quickly. But being far too busy to even pause for refreshments was not enjoyable.

The head waiter shook his head and rolled his eyes, making Anzu feel guilty. "You don't have time to play on your phone!" He scolded, in Japanese.

"I know. It was my boyfriend from Japan. I told him I was working so hopefully he will stop texting me," she explained, also in Japanese.

The head waiter nodded, but hurried her along. "Turn your phone off! We have hungry diners and need to get these plates out. Hurry!" He was trying to sound stern, but was way too nice.

Anzu put her phone on silent and shoved it in her apron pocket. Usually, she liked this job and got on well with her colleagues. Most of them were also from Japan, so it was nice to be able to talk to people in her own language.

But given a choice, she would much rather be pirouetting around a stage, being adored by a captivated audience, rather than shimmying between tables balancing plates of food, while trying not to dump pork dumplings in peoples laps!

She would have to wait until she finished work before she could ring Yugi.

::::::::::::

Yugi had just finished drinking his tea when the door to the shop chimed and Mai walked in, closely followed by Jonouchi.

"The cavalry has arrived!" Jonouchi bellowed.

Mai rolled her eyes. "Oh, please..." she groaned. "Go away and get on someone else's nerves."

It did not escape Yugi's notice that she did not look too pleased. Both of them looked tired and grouchy, indicating that Jonouchi must have done something to upset her – again! So much for them both trying harder.

"Geez Mai! I already told you I'm sorry! What more do you want?" He ranted sulkily and Yugi cringed. They must have fallen out over something pretty bad.

Whatever it was, they would have to resolve it on their own time. He could not allow them to keep arguing in the shop. They were about to open and it would scare away the customers. "Is something wrong? Only.." He did not get chance to finish his sentence.

"Yes!" Mai snapped, with her hands on her hips. "Can you tell this knuckle head to leave me alone?"

"Erm.." Yugi scratched his head.

"Don't listen to her Yug! She's accusing me of things I ain't done!"

"I'm sick of nannying you! Either you buck your ideas up or I'm kicking you out!"

"Alright, alright! I get it! I will clean up the mess later."

"No! I'm not going home to your filth. You can go and do it now!"

Jonouchi opened his mouth to protest but Yugi raised his voice. "Can you two stop arguing in my shop?!" It was not like him to shout, so whenever he did, it got results. The pair immediately shut up.

"Meh... I guess I will smell ya later then Yug? I got some cleaning ta do!" Scratching his head in defeat, Jonouchi turned and ran out. He was not in the mood to argue any further.

After he had gone, Mai went behind the counter and slumped down on the stool. "Arghhh...! Why do I put up with him?" She shook her head in dismay.

Yugi grimaced. "Why? What has he done?"

"I was out with a friend last night, and while I was gone he had Honda round to play games and drink beer. They raided my freezer, cooked up a feast and left grease all over my oven. Then they splashed tomato ketchup on my sofa and spilled beer on the coffee table and carpet. They made no attempt to clean it up! I got home to find them passed out on the sofa like a pair of lovers."

She pulled her phone put to show Yugi the video she had taken of the two sleeping beauties snuggled against one another, snoring away. "I don't know how he is not even hung over!"

Yugi wanted to laugh at the video, but was not sure if it would upset Mai if he did. "He has hollow legs. I expect the food soaked up all the booze," he concluded.

"Too right! He should be fat with all the crap he eats! I'm fed up with spending a fortune on food. He never gives me a penny towards the bills. Maybe I should just accept we're not compatible and kick him out. "

"No! You can't do that!" Yugi looked at her with concern. It would mean that Jonouchi would either be forced to go back to his father's flat, or move into Yugi's half decorated house and sleep on the floor.

"Whatever you do Yugi, don't let him take advantage of you if he moves in with you. Make him agree to pay up front, otherwise he will take liberties."

Yugi grimaced and scratched his head. "Jonouchi's not like that! He actually has a heart of gold. I just don't think he realises how much he eats sometimes. And, he's kind of used to living in a slum because his dad is a slob."

"Yeah, well I won't put up with it. He can change his ways or get out of my life!"

Yugi was a bit shocked. "But I thought you loved each other?"

Mai snorted. "Love! Gimmie a break? There's no such thing. It's all lust." She gave him a pointed look, and at the slightly shocked look on his face, sighed. "Sorry kiddo, but I've been around a bit longer than you, and believe me, you will soon discover how disappointing love can be."

Yugi found that sad. He didn't think he and Anzu could ever disappoint each other in that respect. So, to think that Mai felt that way was depressing. "I don't agree!" He stated with confidence. "You just need to give love a chance. It's not just about being with someone for sex," he blushed, "-it's about loving someone for who they are. Jonouchi might have some bad habits, but it's what makes him who he is. Maybe you should try and meet him halfway."

Mai looked at him with raised eyebrows. "Wow! Look at you with the lecture on relationships! I will take that on board. But I won't be taken advantage of by two little boys who refuse to grow up!"

Yugi shrugged. "I guess. But I don't think Honda or Jonouchi have ever had to clean up after themselves, so they need to be trained."

"And what about you Yugi? Are you house trained?" She smirked, teasingly, twisting the conversation round on him.

"I don't have to be," he replied without thinking. "My mum does it." Come to think of it, his mother was always complaining at him about the state of his room. He grinned sheepishly.

"Hah! Got you!" Mai jabbed her finger at him. "All men are slobs because their mothers pamper them too much."

"No!" Yugi whined. "That's not it at all! We just..." He slapped his forehead. "Okay, you got me on that one. But I will make sure I keep my own house tidy," he grinned. "Anzu hates untidiness."

Mai looked at him and gave him a gentle smile. "You know, I think I believe you. Anzu's a lucky girl to catch a guy as good as you. I hope she appreciates that. Hell, if I was her, I wouldn't let you out of my sight in case some other girl got her talons into you," she winked. Her face was suddenly too close to his and Yugi could have sworn he heard her purr.

He suddenly felt very vulnerable. She could throw herself over him and he would be powerless to stop her!

Luckily, the sound of a lorry reversing onto the forecourt caught their attention. "That's the delivery," said Yugi, almost letting out a sigh of relief. He tried to tell himself that she was not about to kiss him. It was just his imagination running wild.

::::::::::::

As soon as he had taken in the delivery, Yugi went to his house to do some work.

He was just putting the second coat of paint on a freshly plastered wall when Jonouchi came barrelling in. He still seemed to be in a foul mood. "Geez!" He huffed. "Whatever you do Yug, don't ever let Anzu boss you around."

Yugi knew exactly what he was complaining about, but feigned ignorance. "Why? What's wrong?" He enquired, handing Jonouchi a paint tray and a roller.

"Didn't Mai tell ya? I bet she did. I bet she couldn't wait to tell you what a lazy, scrounging pig I am."

"No..." Yugi began to lie, but changed his mind. "Well, she did say you and Honda made a mess and didn't clear up."

Jonouchi dunked his roller in the paint and slapped it angrily against the wall, making Yugi cringe and frown when the paint splattered across the wall and dripped onto the floorboards. "Sorry!" Jonouchi smirked awkwardly at the mess he'd made. "Just getting my frustrations out the way! No harm done. It will all get painted over anyway.

"It's okay Jonouchi," Yugi smiled. "I was just worried you might kick the tray across the room."

Jonouchi let out a guffaw. "Nah! I'm good now," he started to run the roller over the wall, evenly spreading the paint. "It's just... That woman! She might be awesome in bed," he grinned lewdly, "But she's a fucking bitch to live with. Wants everything her way and... Fuck! I was gonna clean up when we woke up this morning anyway, but that weren't good enough! In the end, we had a big argument and she threw Honda out at three A.M, so of course we didn't get chance to clean up!"

Yugi tried to be sympathetic and see it from both sides. But he was a guy and was therefore erring towards siding with his best friend. "Well, maybe it's a bit of give and take. I guess Mai walked in to find you both asleep and it made her mad. She showed me the video."

"Yeah," Jonouchi huffed. "Do you wanna know what she said?" He did not wait for Yugi's response. "She said me and Honda were 'cuddling like a couple of queers!' Like hell we were! We was just passed out."

"You should take my earlier advice and buy her those flowers," he suggested, grinning.

Jonouchi rolled his eyes. "That's another thing! She's got expensive tastes. Wastes money on make-up and clothes she don't need. She's got awesome soft skin and looks like a real babe, between silk sheets, without all that crap on. Know what I mean Yug?" He smirked.

Yugi blushed. He was trying not to imagine Mai naked between silk sheets, without make-up, and failing. He suddenly needed Anzu and almost groaned. Maybe they should stop talking about girlfriends. "How about a tea break?"

"What? We've only just started painting! But... okay. Got any Oreo cookies?"

Yugi rolled his eyes. "I think so – if you haven't already eaten the last lot I bought. You carry on painting, I'll go and check, and make the drinks." Sure enough, the biscuits were all gone.

While waiting for the kettle to boil, he checked his phone. Anzu would have finished work by now and was probably tucked up in bed. She had not messaged him again, so he assumed that she had been too tired and had gone straight to bed when she got home.

His fingers hovered over the keyboard. Should he message her? If she was awake, she would reply. If she was asleep, her phone would be off and she would reply in the morning. But what if she was so tired that she had forgotten to switch it off and it woke her up?

God how he missed her. Jonouchi and Mai did not know how lucky they were to be living under the same roof. The bickering; getting to know one another's faults and learning to accept them, was something he and Anzu had not even had the chance to do yet!

This house was their future together. He hoped that one day it would be filled with laughter and chatter and happiness and … mini versions of himself and Anzu.

He sent her a message telling her how much he loved her.

::::::::::::

Anzu awoke late the next day. Compliments of her period, she felt dreadful. Her lower back ached from standing and rushing about the restaurant for four hours straight, and her head ached from the heat and lack of hydration. She rolled over and groaned at the time. It was nearly ten o'clock and she was taking a dance class at the gym at eleven.

Her phone was still switched on, but was on silent and was still in her handbag; which had been thrown onto the sofa in the sitting room when she had come home last night.

She padded to the bathroom first and then went into the kitchen area and made a pot of strong breakfast tea. While it was brewing, she made herself a bowl of Cornflakes with skimmed milk and sliced a banana on top.

Having made a pot of tea big enough for two, she then noticed a post-it-note that Sally had left on the counter: Didn't want to wake you. Gone to work. See you later. x

Anzu rolled her eyes. Sally had just started a new job, working in a supermarket. Neither of them were doing what they had spent four years studying and qualifying for. Maybe this stupid dream of Broadway stardom was too far out of their reach. Should they perhaps set their sights a bit lower?

All of a sudden, she was starting to think that maybe they should. She had turned down a job dancing in a nightclub because it was not what she wanted. Maybe she should stop being so fussy.

If she were to gain more experience, then maybe production companies would take more notice of her.

She should ring the agency to find out what was available.

Pulling her phone out of her bag, she cursed when she saw that because she had left it on all night, it was running out of charge. She would need it this morning too. She noticed the little blue light flashing to say she had a message, but decided not to read it yet as she wanted to get as much charge into the thing before she had to go out... in less than thirty minutes. Crap! She had better get a move on.

Shovelling down the last mouthfuls of her cereal, between gulps of tea, she headed to the shower for a quick freshen up. She smelled of restaurant food and did not want to turn up at the studio smelling of spicy chicken and those wretched pork dumplings!

The shower worked wonders for waking her up, but it had to be quick – good thing she was used to showering quickly!

She grabbed her towel and started drying herself. It had been washed since he was here, but this was the same towel she and Yugi had wrapped themselves in. Hmmm... Yugi... She still had not checked her messages. She made a mental not not forget.

Rinsing her mouth with mouthwash first, she then brushed her teeth, moisturised her face and body, threw on some clothes, grabbed her sports bag, in a hurry, and ran out of the door... without her phone.


	10. Audition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anzu goes for an audition with the New York Ballet.

Arriving at the gym, Anzu placed her bag down. It was only when she unzipped it and went to take out her phone that she realised it was still on charge at home. Groaning to herself, she cursed. Without her music playlist she was stuck and would have to borrow the CD player and one of the CDs the studio kept as back-up for when the Wi-Fi went down. Most of the music they kept was more suited to Body Pump than ballet, so she hoped she could something suitable.

But since there was not much she could do there was no point in panicking about it. And dance class would be starting in ten minutes so she needed to get organised.

She did not get paid for teaching the classes, but the proprietor had given her free membership of the gym and dance studio, for which she was grateful; there was no way she would be able to afford the cost of membership otherwise. She also got free tea, coffee and a snack, which saved her having to find the money to buy lunch.

The first class this morning was a group of children studying for grade two ballet. Anzu's job was to get them ready to take the exam so that they could move on to grade three. This class was always a delight to teach.

Thankfully, she found a couple of suitable music CD's and luckily everything went smoothly.

She had a fifteen minute break before the next class started and used the time to do a quick workout of her own.

Two more classes followed and then Anzu had the rest of the afternoon free. She had planned to go into the gym, then have a swim and use the steam room. But she was feeling exhausted and could not be bothered. Instead, she took a quick shower and went home to get some rest before her Saturday evening shift started at the restaurant.

Kicking off her trainers, she hurried into the apartment and made a beeline for her phone. Unplugging it, she flopped down on the sofa to read all the messages she had missed. There were several junk e-mails, which she ignored. She was only interested in messages from Yugi.

When she read his message, her heart did a little flip. Hey! Been thinking about you all day and half the night: Please let me know if you got my e-mail attachment with the tickets for Germany? It's gonna be awesome. I can't wait to see you. Love you lots, Yugi... Smiley face, love heart, kiss kiss.

Anzu smiled. Germany was still nearly month away. How on earth will they survive another month without one another?

Of course, she did remember seeing his e-mail, she just had not had time to read it properly. She must do it now. She quickly found the attachment and saved it to her documents.

She wanted to Skype him so that they could talk face to face, but he would still be asleep so she sent him a message instead.

Next, she listened to her voicemail messages. She listened to Yugi's just to hear his voice, and then concentrated on the one from the agency.

As she listened, she felt a rush of anticipation. It was Jackie from the agency; asking her to get in touch ASAP. Apparently, she had some good news about her application to the New York Ballet.

Hands trembling, she hastily called back and was relieved when Jackie answered immediately.

"Hey Jackie! It's me, Anzu." Jackie was relived to hear from her and quickly explained that the New York Ballet wanted Anzu to go for an audition. Apparently, they were looking to take on six new apprentices.

"Y..yeah! Sure. Where?" Anzu stuttered out excitedly. Could this be the chance she had been hoping for?

"The interviews started today. I tentatively booked you a slot for tomorrow, mid morning, if you can make it?"

"Of course I can!" Anzu managed to prevent herself from shrieking and jumping up and down while she was still on the phone, but the moment she hung up she whooped and skipped around the room.

Calming down a little, she admonished herself for getting too ahead of herself. Her place was not assured. She would be one of dozens of hopefuls, and she would need to look her very best and be on top of her game – which might be a problem if they had another night at the restaurant like the one they had last night.

Sagging, she flopped into the chair and groaned in frustration. If she phoned in sick, she would leave the restaurant in a fix. Not only did she feel bad about that, she also wouldn't get paid. All she could hope is that they were properly staffed tonight and that her boss would be generous and let her off early, especially since she had been so late leaving last night.

As it turned out, they were short staffed yet again. By the time she got home, at one in the morning, she was completely exhausted and her back, feet and head were killing her.

The following day, she woke up to her alarm at nine forty five, feeling absolutely trashed. Two late nights and a busy day yesterday had taken their toll and she had dark circles under her eyes and her body felt heavy.

"I'm doomed," she groaned, staggering towards the bathroom.

Sally did her best to cheer her up and get her motivated. "Don't say that! Go take a shower and I will make you an energy packed breakfast. Then we can chuck a bit of make-up on you and no one will even know there's bags underneath your eyes."

The comment made Anzu giggle, but she still doubted there would be any miracles. Competition would be fierce and they would not be impressed with a dancer that looked like she had been clubbing all night. But she would give it her all, hope for the best and prepare for the worst. "What about you? Are you going to audition?"

"I've got mine tomorrow morning, but I dunno if it's quite my thing." Anzu was not surprised. Sally was more interested in musicals, where she could sing and act, as well as dance.

Sally fixed Anzu's hair in a bun for her, and three quarters of an hour later, Anzu was made up and good to go. "I'll let you know what to expect for tomorrow," Anzu grinned nervously.

Grabbing a banana and a bottle of sports drink, she hugged her friend and hurried out of the door.

Arriving with enough time to go to the bathroom and check her hair and make-up were still in place, she decided she would have to do as she was.

Back in the waiting room, she noticed how professional the other dancers were in comparison. In her baggy tee-shirt, leggings, ankle socks and the slightly worn out ballet slippers she called her 'lucky slippers', because Yugi had given them to her, she did not think she looked very professional.

She sagged. But hey! This was her first 'real' audition and she lacked experience. All she could do was dance and hope it was enough to impress.

She was given a ticket with a number on, and asked to go into a warm up room with the other hopefuls.

As she started loosening up and stretching, Anzu's nerves started to disappear. She figured that her relaxed mood was because she had already resigned herself to failure. To hell with it!

"Nervous?" A guy on the bar next to her asked. His dirty blonde hair was a bit shorter and neater, but there was something about him that reminded her of Jonouchi.

Before she even had chance to reply properly, a woman came into the studio and called the young man's number. He winked at her "Here goes nothing." Anzu could tell he was nervous, but he was trying to appear confident and gave her a thumbs up as he followed the woman.

Anzu shook her head and smiled at her reflection in the mirror. Audition, she reminded herself. She could do this.

Ten minutes later, Anzu was called.

Feeling like a plank of wood, and with a brain that was telling her that she had completely forgotten how to dance, she followed the woman into another dance studio.

Waiting for her was a panel of four people, who were all scrutinising her.

If she was going to be a professional dancer, she would have to get used to this... humiliation. No! She told herself. Not humiliation – opportunity.

A very camp man stood up and introduced himself as Brian, the chief choreographer.

Anzu stood in first position and bowed her head lightly.

He looked her up and down and then read something on his I-pad. She guessed he was checking her C.V. She noticed how he smiled and nodded. Did that mean he was impressed? Or was he smiling because he thought she was an absolute joke?

"Okay... Miss Anzu Mazaki." He glanced up at her, while tapping his bottom lip with his stylus.

Anzu nearly choked on her tongue. "Y..Yes! That's me.." She stuttered stupidly.

"Try to relax Anzu. We don't bite... much," he joked, smiling at her kindly.

He asked her a few questions about her time at Juilliard and what her ambitions were. She told him that she wanted to work her way up to become a lead dancer, and hoped that was the answer he was expecting. He smiled, but did not give anything much away.

She had already been told that they would be dancing to a solo piece from Manon, and it was at this point that Anzu regretted that she had not had time to plan her dance routine in advance. She had never felt so unprepared in her life. But they had studied Manon in college so at least she knew the story. All she had to do was remember it in detail!

As the music began, she closed her eyes for a second and tried to composed herself. She could just about remember the dance to this but would have to improvise a little; she could still do it if she danced from the soul.

Giving it her all, she danced her heart out. If she did not get the job it would not be for lack of trying.

She finished dancing, out of breath, and looked at the people for their reaction. They were giving very little away, but she was sure she saw Brian's mouth almost twitch into a smile. Or maybe he was trying not to burst out laughing.

"Thank you Miss Mazaki. We will be in touch within three days," said the lady who had brought her into the room.

Anzu bowed to the interviewers and then followed instructions, as she was directed out of a different door than the one she had come in by.

When she got outside, she was visibly trembling. My God that was nerve racking. She could not wait to tell Sally about it.

But Sally would not be home from work until six. Spotting a Starbucks opposite, Anzu decided to go and have a large mocha as a treat.

Entering the cafe, she immediately spotted the young man who had auditioned just before her. He was sitting on a stool at the window. Upon seeing her, his face lit up and he waved.

Smiling, Anzu waved back. As soon as she had her mocha she went over and joined him. "Hi! How did it go?"

He shrugged. "It was terrifying. I think I blew it. But you never know. How about you?"

"I have no idea," she grimaced. "I was so unprepared. But I did as well as I could."

He chuckled. "Maybe we will both get lucky. I have heard that the reason they are recruiting is because they are planning to take a new production of Manon on tour."

"Really? When?" Anzu suddenly felt her heart rate increasing. That was why they made her dance part of it.

"Didn't your agent not tell anything?" He raised his eyebrows in bemusement.

"No..." she pouted. "I only found out about the audition yesterday. I then had to go to work in the evening and have barely had time to even think about it, let alone check the details," she admitted, sheepishly. If she got the part and he didn't...

He looked at her with wide eyes. "I knew about it last Thursday and had time to prepare! What did you do? Did you even know what you were dancing to?"

Anzu smiled bashfully. "Luckily we studied it at school. It was my teachers favourite ballet."

He burst out laughing. "That's awesome! You're such a cool chick! Please come on a date with me?" He opened his arms and gave her the full theatrics and puppy dog eyes. She started giggling.

He was like a cute, non perverted version of Jonouchi...

"Sorry! But I already have a boyfriend."

"Aww... never mind. Who's the lucky dude?"

Anzu smiled warmly. "His name is Yugi. He is in Japan though, so we don't see each other often."

"And he let you come all the way to New York on your own?!" He looked slightly alarmed but was still grinning. "So, I know your boyfriend's name but I don't know yours."

"Oh! I'm Anzu," she responded. "I'm sorry, but I missed your name." She had really not been paying attention and could not remember if he had even told her his name before he had been called up for his audition.

"Harri. Well, Harrison, but people call me Harri – with an I." He offered a hand shake. "Nice to meet you Anzu. I'm new to New York, so maybe you could show me around and we can be friends?"

"Where are you from?" She found it strange that an American would not know New York, but then... America was a big place.

"I'm from Indiana." When Anzu looked at him with an expression saying she had no idea where that was, he elaborated. "You've heard of Indianapolis right?"

"Oh! Yes, I have never been there though," she nodded. "Have you never been to New York before?"

"Yeah, once. But I was just a young kid at the time."

"So, where did you go to college? You know, to get your dance degree?"

"Indiana Uni. I qualified two years ago and since then I have been working on a cruise ship. It's a great life, but I fancied a change."

Anzu nodded thoughtfully. He obviously had a lot more work experience then she did. All the other applicants probably did, so there was no way she would be in with a shout.

After exchanging numbers, Anzu went back to her apartment. Was it wise to have exchanged numbers with him? She did not want him to get any ideas.

When she arrived home, ready to tell Sally all about her day, she was in for a nasty surprise.

Unlocking the door, she bounced in full of excitement, only to find Sally sitting on the couch in tears.

Her excitement quickly flew out of the window. "Sally! What's wrong?" She rushed over to sit with her friend.

She listened as Sally explained how her mother had found a lump shortly after returning home from visiting for graduation, but had not told her, just in case it was nothing, and they did not want her to worry.

But their worst fears had just been confirmed and her mother was having an operation for breast cancer in a few days from now, and then would be starting on a six month course of chemotherapy.

All of a sudden, Sally's dreams of Broadway seemed irrelevant compared to her mother's health. Sally wanted to be with her family and would be leaving on a flight home, first thing in the morning.

The whole thing was like a lightening bolt from the blue.

"What about your audition tomorrow?"

Sally just shrugged. "There will be other opportunities. I might decide to come back when my mum has finished treatment and is given the all clear.

Anzu nodded and offered to make her friend a cuppa. Although she was being very understanding and supportive, deep down she was starting to feel frightened. As she poured the boiling water onto the teabags, her hands began trembling and she felt rotten in the knowledge that they were shaking over her own fears of being left here alone rather than fears for her friend's mum.

Flexing her fingers, she steeled herself and picked up the mugs. She placed them on the coffee table and sad down next to her friend.

Sally looked at her and sighed. "I'm so sorry to do this to you Anzu," she burst into another round of tears.

Anzu shook her head and placed an arm around her. "Please don't be sorry. I understand. You have to go and be with your family. They need you more than I do."

Sally nodded and smiled through her tears. "Thanks! You're the best. I don't think I would have had the courage to stay here at all if it wasn't for you. I will make sure my rent is paid up so you don't have to struggle."

"Don't worry about me. What is important, is that your mum gets better." Anzu felt sad for her friend. It was scary ho things could change in an instant. It made her vow to ring her own parents more often than she did.

That night, Anzu helped Sally to pack and the following morning she was gone.

Anzu watched her leave through the departure gate feeling hollow. How would she survive without her funny, down to earth partner in crime?

The subway ride home felt surreal. She really was alone in New York. Anzu had always drawn strength from having her friends. She relied on them to give her the courage to chase her dreams. But now she was all alone and had no one to support her.

The city suddenly seemed seemed to be closing in on her like the big, scary place it truly was and she regretted chucking Harris's number in the bin.

Feeling breathless, she sought the sanctuary of the apartment. However, all that greeted her was an empty, lonely space.

In no time at all, she was starting to feel homesick. If the New York ballet rejected her, she doubted that she would have the willpower left to remain here on her own.

She wanted to Skype Yugi and have a good cry on him but stopped herself. No one, not Yugi, not her parents, must know how desperate and insecure she was feeling right now. She would keep her conversations with them light and chirpy.

She would get the job with the New York Ballet and it would all be okay. It had to be.

But when almost a week went by and she still had not heard anything, her morale started to sink.

Crippling self doubt was starting to creep in. Did she really have what it takes to make it in this city?

It was made worse when she was sent along for another dancing job, which had boasted good pay and bonuses to successful applicants, only to discover that it was a nightclub looking to hire erotic dancers. There was no way she was dancing in only a postage stamp sized lacy thong and with tassels dangling from her nipples, in front of dirty old men!

Storming back to her apartment, she slammed the door and had a good cry. All her dreams suddenly seemed so far out of reach. She was stupid for ever imagining that she was better than any of the other hundreds of hopefuls. This was turning out to be the City of Broken Dreams.

As if on cue, her phone rang. It was the agency. Hmph! Probably ringing to tell her the man from the strip club had called to complain that she had given him a piece of her mind and stormed out.

She was surprised when she was told that the auditions for the New York Ballet had overrun due to the high volume of applicants. But they had now finished and were very keen for Anzu to go back for a second audition tomorrow morning.

She squealed with delight. Brian must have liked her!

::::::::::::

Yugi was feeling pretty damn good today. The kitchen fitters had finished installing the new kitchen and the rest of the decorating was almost done. His trip to Germany was also getting closer and there was a possibility that Anzu might soon be accepted by the New York Ballet. The future was looking very bright indeed.

As promised, he photographed the finished kitchen/diner so that he could send the pictures to Anzu.

The photos did not really do it justice and he could not wait for her to see it for herself.

The next step was to start furnishing the place. He hoped that he might be able persuade Anzu to come home to Japan after they left Germany. Her really wanted her to help choose a bed, a sofa and anything else they might need to make it 'their' home.

To say he was excited, was an understatement.

"Hey, Yugi! How about we throw a party?" Jonouchi suggested with a grin. "Before you get all the furniture in."

Yugi gave him an horrified glare. "Are you kidding? We didn't do all this work for it to get ruined!"

Jonouchi threw a sloppy arm over his shorter friend's shoulders. "Relax Yug! No one's gonna damage anything."

"Yeah, famous last words," Yugi grunted.

Jonouchi watched as he finished selecting the best photographs to send to Anzu. "Maybe we should have an engagement party when you and Anzu get back from Germany?" He was only teasing, but Yugi was mortified that he had guessed his plan to propose to Anzu while they were in Germany.

"What?!" His face was bright red. "How did you guess I was gonna...?"

Jonouchi cut him off. "No way! You really are gonna ask her?! Woo hoo... This calls for immediate celebration."

"She might not even say yes!" Yugi whined, but his friend wasn't listening so he face palmed and groaned. He had wanted it to be a secret. He had hoped that he and Anzu could return together and surprise everyone. But now his plan was out. And if she issued an adamant 'NO!' He would be a laughing stock.

To make things worse, Jonouchi was already messaging Honda and Bakura with the news that Yugi and Anzu were getting married.

He slumped onto the upturned crate they were using as a stool and buried his head in his hands in defeat. If Jonouchi told Mai or Shizuka, they would call Anzu to congratulate her and... He wanted to scream.

::::::::::::

When Anzu awoke the following morning, she turned on her phone to see that she had an e-mail from Yugi with several attachments. She opened them to reveal the photographs of the sleek, midnight blue kitchen units, grey granite work surfaces, matching grey tiled flooring and clean white walls. Impressed with his tastes, she raised her eyebrows. She liked it very much, but it looked a bit minimalist and masculine. It could do with the odd pot plant and a nice painting or two to really set it off. She was already thinking about the other nice things they could get to put in that kitchen.

She did not really have time to get into a conversation with him, because she had to be at her second audition this morning, so she sent him a message telling him not to choose any furniture until he had consulted with her – she did not want it filled with black leather gaming chairs and Duel Monsters posters. She ended the message with a winking smiley face and hit send, before hopping out of bed to get herself washed, dressed and breakfasted.

Today was going to be a make or break day for her.


	11. Decision Time

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jonouchi talks Yugi into throwing a party and announces to their friends that Yugi and Anzu are engaged.  
> Meanwhile, Anzu has some news of her own, and it doesn't go down too well.

With a slight sense of foreboding, Yugi helped Jonouchi carry bags of junk food and a crate of beer up the stairs to his freshly decorated kitchen. Why on earth he had let Jonouchi talk him into throwing a party was beyond him. But he had warned Jonouchi not to invite any of the guys from the warehouse at the docks where he worked – a couple of them had bad reputations. This was to be a get together for close friends and family only.

Although he was a hot head, who frequently acted before thinking, Jonouchi held Yugi in the highest regard and would never go against his friend's wishes. "It will be all good Yugi, I promise. I know I said we should have a party, but I only invited my sis, Mai, Honda, Bakura and Otogi. I asked Mokuba too and he said he would come. But I didn't ask stingy old moneybags."

Yugi could not help but laugh at that. "I doubt he would come anyway."

Jonouchi was about to dump the crate of beer on the brand new, shiny kitchen work surface, but Yugi stopped him by shrieking. "Not on there! You'll scratch it!" Jonouchi jumped at his friend's sudden outburst and quickly snatched the crate back up.

Embarrassed for yelling, Yugi scratched the back of his head with one hand and pointed at an old, fold out table he had found in the back of the store, with the other "Can you put it on there please?"

Jonouchi looked at where Yugi was pointing Even though he figured it would take more than a plastic crate to damage the durable work surface, he nodded and did as Yugi had asked.

Grinning sheepishly, he then inspected the work surface. "See! No damage done."

Yugi decided not to mention it again. Instead, he turned his focus to placing the bags of crisps and other unhealthy snacks they had purchased onto the work surface. "Do you think all this stuff will be enough?"

"Hey! Watch they don't scratch!" Jonouchi teased.

Yugi rolled his eyes at his friend. "Well... the plastic beer crate was on the ground earlier, so it might have picked up gravel or something. That's why I didn't want it put on here." He patted his pristine work surface.

"I get it Yug! But ya didn't have ta yell at me like that!" He started laughing, but Yugi did not really see the humour. Jonouchi had not just spent several hundred thousand Yen on a bespoke kitchen.

Seeing the irritation on Yugi's face made Jonouchi backtrack. If his little pal got angry about something, then you knew you had fucked up! "Sorry dude. What ya sayin makes sense. Anyway, about the beer: I told everyone to bring some booze or whatever they drink," he said, surveying the beer and cola they had purchased.

Yugi nodded. "What about the food?"

Jonouchi turned around to look at the mound of snacks. Scratching his chin in thought, he shrugged. To be honest, he could probably scoff all of that himself if he wanted. "Mai said she would bring some more stuff over to cook in your new oven.."

Yugi nodded, leaned the work top and looked around the room. It suddenly occurred to him that hey did not have anything for people to sit on.

::::::::::::

After a totally crazy, awesome day, Anzu was buzzing. She had spent the morning being interviewed. Her knowledge had been thoroughly tested, but thanks to her excellent schooling at Juilliard, she had survived. She had also been asked to dance some tough, set routines. It was nerve racking, but she rose to the challenge.

She had done her best and all she could do now was sit and wait with the other shortlisted hopefuls, and hope. But she felt quietly confident.

Harri had also been called back for the second interview and Anzu was pleased for him. He was probably the only friend she had in this city now.

When a lady with a clip board walked into the room, all the hopefuls sat up straight and tensed nervously. The room was so full of nervous anticipation that you could literally smell it.

Anzu had never chewed her finger nails, but right now, she could have chewed them all the way down to the knuckles. She kept her hands clenched and folded in her lap, just in case she actually did!

When her name was the first to be called out as a successful applicant, she could not quite believe it. "Oh! My god!" She gasped breathlessly and clasped her hands to her face in disbelief. Some of the other hopefuls congratulated her while others just sat there looking worried.

Her mind tuned out all surrounding noise as she sat in dazed euphoria. She had made it! Out of more than one hundred candidates, she was one of the six lucky hopefuls to have been successful in what was a very cut-throat environment.

She was now a professional dancer with the New York Ballet.

"Well done," Hari winked at her, bringing her focus back into the room. His name had yet to be called.

She reached out and squeezed his hand, willing some good fortune to go his way as well. When they got to the sixth and final place, they were starting to lose hope. They held their breath when the woman calling out the names looked at Harri and opened her mouth to speak.

When she smiled and called his name, he let out a whoop of joy. Both Anzu and Harri had made it.

The woman thanked the disappointed dancers for their time, wished them better luck next time and showed them the door.

While Anzu felt bad for them, she could not allow herself to dwell on her own good fortune over others. There was still a lot of hard work to come over the next few weeks and she needed to knuckle down and prove that they had not made a mistake by selecting her.

::::::::::::

The party was in full swing. Earlier that afternoon, they had made a quick call to Mokuba, and in no time at all, they had a large flat screen TV hanging on the wall, and a music system. The music was blasting out and the TV was showing pop videos. Yugi had offered to pay for the equipment, but Mokuba just grinned and explained it was a gift and was tax deductible anyway.

For seating, Yugi had scrounged a few fold out garden chairs and a couple of upturned buckets.

Everyone was dancing, drinking and eating the food that Mai had prepared using Yugi's new oven. There was only one person missing – Anzu.

Feeling lost without her, Yugi resorted to watching his friends.

Leaning against the wall, clutching his bottle of beer, he observed as Mai and Jonouchi danced and smooched. Jonouchi had reassured him that he had not breathed a word to anyone about the engagement, but Yugi was fairly sure he had told Mai. He doubted they would keep it to themselves once they had consumed a few drinks.

Ryuji Otogi had turned up with six eager young women. He claimed they were all his girlfriends, but much to his consternation they seemed more interested in Ryou Bakura than they were him. Yugi smirked, and watched as the girls surrounded poor Ryou and started pawing at him. Two of them had hold of his arms and were trying to get him to dance with them. But still he resisted.

Having lost out to Bakura, Otogi was now resorting to competing against Honda for Shizuka's attention.

Yugi chuckled to himself, because Jonouchi had not even noticed that his sister was actively flirting with her two admirers.

He suddenly found himself joined by Seto Kaiba, who, by some miracle Mokuba had managed to drag along with him. "I presume I paid for that?" He had a half smirk on his face.

"Huh?!" Yugi was only half listening and did not quite grasp what he was on about at first, and then noticed Seto was gesturing at the sixty inch screen and the surround sound system. "Oh! Yeah..." He scratched his head. "I can pay for it if you like?"

Seto shrugged. "No. It's okay. But I will kill Mokuba... slowly, for not asking me first." Yugi knew he was only joking by the smirk etched on his face. He chuckled in response.

Seto took a long drink from his bottle of his beer. "Congratulations by the way. Mokuba told me you and Anzu are getting married," he stated blandly.

Yugi spat his own mouthful of beer out. It seemed that Jonouchi may have already blabbed to Mokuba – must have been when they were setting up the TV. This was bad. It was only a matter of time before one of them contacted Anzu. "Shit! Who else knows?"

Seto shrugged and gestured towards Jonouchi. "Everyone is about to find out right now, unless you can shut that moron up."

Yugi's jaw dropped. Jonouchi was muting the music to make an announcement. He yelled out to Jonouchi not to, but it was too late; he was already telling everyone.

Yugi sweat dropped. "I need to call Anzu." Not giving anyone the chance to congratulate him, he legged it to his bedroom and locked the door.

Leaning his back against it, he groaned.

Trying to collect himself, he checked his watch. He had a rough idea of Anzu's schedule and knew she would probably be at the gym today. But would she have her phone with her? Hopefully, he could reach her before she started receiving messages congratulating her on her engagement to him.

Ignoring the confused shouts being aimed at him from the other side of the door, he dialled her number, only for it to go to straight to voicemail.

He left a rather desperate message and pleaded with her to call him as soon as possible?

::::::::::::

Having survived the selection process, the six successful dancers were briefed about company rules and regulations and then given contracts to sign. They were also issued with staff identity cards and standard company leotards and tights – which they had to pay for.

They were then sent home for the day and asked to come back in three days time to start training and rehearsals.

Three days? Anzu felt a knot forming in her stomach. She had hoped the starting date would not be for another two to four weeks – to allow for people to work notice periods etc... But if she was starting in three days, it would mean she was going to have to tell Yugi that she could not go to Germany with him.

All she could do was hope that he would understand and not be too upset with her.

Grabbing her bag, she pulled her phone out and turned it on.

Harri approached her. "Hey! Fancy coming to celebrate? A couple of the guys suggested of getting something to eat."

Until she had spoken to Yugi, she did not feel very much like socialising. But she did not want to go home to her lonely flat to eat beans on toast either.

She smiled awkwardly and hummed in thought as she tried to decide what to do. She was about to speak when her phone started vibrating and pinging like crazy, as several messages all came through, distracting her.

Harri laughed. "Someone's popular!"

"Yeah..." She glanced at the first one and caught the word 'congratulations'.

Raising a puzzled eyebrow, she wondered how they all could have known about the second audition, because she had not told anyone.

But when she opened and read the message properly, which was from Shizuka, her mouth fell open in surprise. "Engagement?!" She gasped. For some reason, everyone thought she and Yugi were officially engaged to be married. What on earth was going on?

"I'm sorry Harri. I need to go. I.. er, have to work tonight." Maybe Yugi could throw some light onto what was going on.

Concerned that she was acting a bit strangely, Harri ran after her. "Hey! You alright? Only, you look like you've seen a ghost."

Anzu let out a funny, manic sounding laugh. "My friends all think Yugi and me are engaged to be married!"

He raised an eyebrow. "And I take it you're not?" He had a huge grin on his face that reminded her of Jonouchi.

"It's not funny Harri! I will kill Jonouchi. I bet it was him that has been spreading the rumour." It had to be him since he was the only one stupid enough to start a silly rumour like this.

"Who's Jonouchi?"

"Oh! Katsuya Jonouchi. He's Yugi's best friend but he can be a real idiot sometimes."

Harri shrugged. "Well, if you wanna talk about it, I'm all ears?" He tugged on his ears and went cross eyed to make her laugh.

Anzu let out a squeal of laughter. Blushing, she clamped her hands over her mouth and flushed with embarrassment at her outburst. "You're such a dork Harri!" She scolded.

"Me? Dork?" He replied, innocently. "I cheered you up, didn't I?" Anzu shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Look! I really would love to come for a meal with you all, but I should get home. I need to speak to Yugi. I have something important to tell Yugi and this engagement rumour is making it more complicated."

"Isn't it the middle of the night in Japan? Come for the meal and then you can ring him later, when he's awake," Harri persisted.

"It's actually about five in the morning. And no, this can't wait! It will serve him right if I wake him up."

Harri looked surprised. "Don't you want to be engaged to him?" Did that mean he had a chance with her?

"Actually..." Anzu looked thoughtful. "I do. But we talked about it and agreed to wait a couple of years."

"Are you sure it isn't all just a misunderstanding? Maybe Yugi doesn't even know about it."

Anzu snorted. She had her suspicions as to what might have happened. Yugi wasn't always as innocent as he pretended to be. Whenever he wanted to stir things up a little, he would tell Jonouchi something in so called 'confidence', but being a blabbermouth Jonouchi would broadcast it. Of course, Yugi knew his friend would blab, which was probably why he told Jonouchi in the first place. The pair of them together could be a nightmare sometimes. But why would Yugi do something like that? It didn't make sense.

"Oh, yeah... It's a mistake alright. Just you wait until I get my hands on them." It was not that she was upset about the idea of getting engaged to Yugi, she was annoyed because an engagement was a serious commitment between two people who were in love. It was not something that should be taken so lightly and made into a joke.

Running home, she dashed up the stairs to her apartment, closed the door and threw her shoes and bag into a corner.

Composing herself, she read through all of the messages properly. From what she could gather, it appeared that last night they had a party, where it was announced, without her even being there! "Nice one Yugi!" She grumbled. He really should be have been a bit tougher with Jonouchi, and stopped him from spreading gossip.

Shaking her head in dismay, she dialled her voicemail and listened to Yugi's message.

He sounded a bit desperate, and drunk. He kept apologising and saying it wasn't his fault. He didn't often swear but she was surprised to hear him curse under his breath.

The rumour had obviously spread quickly and Yugi had been caught up in the gossip and unable to stop it.

As the phone rang, she found herself thinking that maybe an engagement might not be a bad idea after all. Perhaps she should suggest it as a way of softening the blow of her not going to Germany.

The phone rang for a bit and then a rather gruff voice answered. He did not sound amused at being woken up. Still, hadn't he always told her that she could ring him any time, night or day? And she was too uptight for this to wait.

::::::::::::

Yugi had not gone to bed until gone three, and had basically crashed on a sleeping mat in his unfurnished bedroom.

The ringing phone startled him awake. He swiped his arm out to turn it off, but knocked it and it skidded across the floor. Grunting, he crawled over and picked it up. For a moment he considered throwing it at his newly painted wall. But then he saw who was ringing him.

"Anzu!" He barked.

"Yugi! Is that you?" He sounded rather hoarse and irritable.

"Yes! What time is it?"

"Oh! Sorry if I woke you. But you did say I could ring anytime."

"Yeah... sorry. I got to sleep late. I guess you're calling about the rumour?" He sounded almost resigned to a beating.

Anzu let out a nervous laugh. Where to start. "Yes. I have seen messages about our engagement." She had not intended to sound pithy, but unfortunately, she did.

Her tone made him cringe. "I'm sorry." He was tired, he was thirsty and his head felt full of wood. And from her tone, he knew he was in for some stern questioning. "It wasn't me who started it. Jonouchi just assumed..." Trailing off, he squirmed. He did not intentionally wish to drop Jonouchi in it, but she was bound to guess anyway.

In response, she gave a stilted little snort. "You don't have to worry. I already guessed he was responsible," she rolled her eyes for her own benefit. "Trust him to start rumours about us getting married. What happened, exactly? I want the truth."

Yugi cringed but stuck up for his friend. "He didn't mean any harm. He wanted to throw a party and it kinda snowballed from there. Are you angry?"

"No. Not angry. I've just had a busy day and wasn't expecting something like this." There was a note of nervousness creeping into her voice and he was not sure how to proceed.

An awkward moment of silence hung in the air as each of them tried to think of what to say next.

It was Yugi who spoke first. "Well, I'm sorry it had to happen like that. It isn't quite how I imagined us getting engaged." He let out a sigh. "I was freaking out last night. I thought you would want to kill me."

She sighed in response to his sigh. "I probably should kill you all," she tutted. "But now I'm over the shock, I think that maybe we should get engaged. What do you think?"

He was not sure if his hearing was playing tricks on him. He perked up a bit. "You do? Y... yeah...!" He hesitated slightly.

She took his pause as a cue to continue talking. "I know I said I wanted to wait a few years, but it would show that we have made a commitment to one another. I doesn't mean we have to rush to get married."

"Y.. yeah... sure," Even though he could not see her, he nodded thoughtfully. "But let's not make it an official engagement just yet. Can we talk about it while we're in Germany?"

Anzu was worried by his hesitancy. Perhaps he did not want to get engaged and was trying to put her off the idea. "Are you okay Yugi? I mean... My suggestion is okay, isn't it?"

"Yeah..." it sounded forced. "Of course it is." He scowled at himself for being so vague. His plan to go down on one knee and make a romantic proposal was in danger of being spoiled. "I just think we should wait until we meet up in Germany before we make any decisions. I kind of have something nice planned for your birthday."

Anzu did not really know how to answer. With everything that had been going on, she had forgotten that her birthday was a couple of days before the Germany weekend. She should have realised that he would be planning a special surprise for her.

But, she was not going to Germany. How was she supposed to tell him without breaking his heart?

She opened her mouth to speak but no words came out.

He knotted his eyebrows in puzzlement at her silence. "Anzu? Are you still there?"

"Erm.. Yes. I. I've got some...good news." She sounded so choked up that it sounded anything but good news. She paused again and she heard him humming in anticipation of what she had to say. There was no easy way, she realised. This was the moment where she was going to have to punch him in the gut by telling him she was not going to Germany with him. And rather than announce their engagement, they would probably be announcing that they had split up.

But she could not put it off. She had to tell him. "I need to tell you something..." She cleared her throat. "Well..." God, she was making a pigs ear of this.

"What's wrong Anzu?" He asked, tentatively. His voice was so full of concern, it was breaking her.

"Well, you know the audition I went for the other week?"

"Which one?"

Oh! That's right. When they last spoke, she had told him the New York Ballet one was not looking hopeful. She had also called him when she was upset and angry about the strip club audition, and she had vented all her frustration on him about it.

"The New York Ballet. They finally got back to me and told me I was on the shortlist. And... I went back today. I got it Yugi! I got a place with the New York Ballet!" Before she could continue, Yugi whooped with delight.

"That's awesome! But why are you so worried about telling me? It's your dream job! It's what you've been working so hard for.."

"Yeah...it is," she bit her lip. "There's only one problem..." The pause made Yugi nervous. What problem could that be?

And then the bomb was dropped on him. "I start in three days, which means I can't go to Germany." There followed a stunned silence from Yugi, while Anzu squirmed and apologised profusely.

However, no amount of apologising could make up for the disappointment he was feeling right now.

He wanted to shout at her. He wanted to tell her how she had just got his hopes up by suggesting they actually do get engaged, only to rip his heart out and trample all over his self esteem.

But being Yugi, he swallowed his emotions and stayed silent. He had no right to tell her she could not accept her dream job. As he had just told her – it was what she had worked so hard for.

He tried to find his voice; to tell her he was happy for her and that she should not feel bad for letting him down. They could get together another time, couldn't they? But all that came out was a rather choked sounding "Hey! I'm cool." What a stupid thing to say. He was anything but cool.

She started crying. "Yugi? Are you sure..?" Talk about rubbing salt in his wounds.

"Yeah... You've worked hard for this. Don't worry about me. Look! I gotta go, speak soon."

He could hear her sniffing and he felt cowardly but he could not deal with the emotions right now. He hung up before he lost it and said something he might regret.

Throwing his phone across the room, he swore and buried his face in his hands before letting out an angry, frustrated, tearful roar.

Anzu was left listening to the ring tone. Her whole world was so up in the air and it was crippling her. She had just found her dream job but it looked like her relationship with Yugi was the price she had to pay for that dream. Was it worth it? She doubted she was the first to be forced to make difficult choices, but it still stung.

She grabbed a cushion, hugged it and had a good sob.

::::::::::::

Two weeks later, Yugi found himself thinking about it on his flight to Germany.

After a good cry, he had calmed down and called her back. They had talked it through on video chat, and he had re-assured her that she must not feel guilty about Germany. She had dreamed of dancing with the New York Ballet for years and there was no way in a million years he would suggest she turn it down. Not that she would anyway; it would be foolish to turn down such an opportunity.

After much soul searching, Yugi had suggested they put any thoughts of their engagement on hold for now. They both had far too many work commitments at the moment and neither of them felt that they could give very much time to their relationship. They would remain the closest of friends and if they were both still single in a year or so, then they would evaluate their feelings and take it from there.

They were both sad about it, but if they truly loved each other and it was meant to be, then one day they would get married. But until then, they were free to do as they pleased.

Gazing through the window, he could see a ship loaded with hundreds of shipping containers, bound for... wherever. He knew it must be a massive ship, but from up here it looked tiny against the vast blue ocean it was floating on.

He felt a bit like that ship, cast adrift on the vast ocean. The only difference was, the ship had a destination, whereas his final destination was still unknown. Showing his game at Gamescom was but one step on that path towards his goal. But what was the point of pushing himself to be so successful if he had no one to enjoy it with?

He suddenly found himself wishing Atem was still here. Shouldering his burdens had always seemed so much easier when Atem's spirit was with him.

But Atem was not here to help him work out what he should do. He would have to do that on his own. And on such a long flight, he had plenty of time to think about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, that ended on a sad note. I'm being a bit cruel.


	12. Germany

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi goes to Germany to show his game at Gamescom but things start to go wrong when an old foe, with a grudge against Kaiba, turns up and uses Yugi as a pawn to gain revenge..

By the time the plane landed Yugi had come to a decision – instead of flying home after Gamescom ended, he would go to New York. It would probably cost him and arm and a leg to change his flight, but it would be worth it to see Anzu.

And it was not like he was really needed at home, because everything was pretty much under control: His grandfather was leaving for California early next week and his mother was helping him to sort out everything he needed for his trip, and would make sure he did not forget things; like his passport or tickets. Mai was settled nicely into working full time in the shop and seemed to get on well with his mother – so there was nothing he needed to worry about there.

The only person who might be a fly in the ointment was Seto Kaiba, who had a meeting lined up for the day after he returned. But it was nothing that couldn't be re-arranged, or maybe even conducted by conference call.

No, his mind was made up already and he would not let Kaiba bully him into not going to New York. The only reason he and Anzu hardly ever saw each other anyway, was because he always allowed other people to take up his valuable, and limited, time.

If his game was as successful around the world as it had been in Japan, then he would reward himself with a month off to do the things he enjoyed, but no longer had time to do; like duel for fun or spend time relaxing with Anzu. It would be nice choosing the furniture for his... their.. house, together.

::::::::::::

A car had already been arranged to take Yugi to the hotel and the driver was waiting for him when he entered the arrivals hall.

He would be staying at the same hotel as the Kaiba Corporation technical staff, who had already arrived in Germany a couple of days ahead of him to start setting up the display for the trade stand.

His hotel room was quite nice, but it would be lonely sleeping alone in the double bed that he had been hoping to share with Anzu.

Sighing, he stripped off his shirt and padded into the bathroom to shave, clean his teeth and take a nice long shower.

After drying himself on the towel provided by the hotel, he rummaged in his suitcase for a clean pair of boxers. Typically, they were right at the bottom and the contents of his case was soon messed up and thrown on the floor.

He looked at the pile of messy clothes. If Anzu were here she would want him to tidy them up and place them in the wardrobe provided. But Anzu was not here so he decided to leave everything in a pile on top of his open case. But he did decide to hang his two spare button up shirts on a hanger to prevent them creasing.

Thumbing through the tourist leaflets, that were neatly placed on the dresser as suggestions for guests to visit, he selected a couple that looked interesting and flopped down on the bed, in just his boxers, to read them. He was intrigued by Cologne Cathedral. He was not too sure what a cathedral was and had assumed it was something similar to the temples and shrines they had in Japan. But the picture on the leaflet made it look Gothic – like something out of Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings. It would have been a great place to go and visit with Anzu, had she been here.

Sighing, he chucked the leaflet on the bedside table and pulled out his laptop to re-arrange his flights.

He could not get a flight to New York for Monday so he settled for a flight that would leave late afternoon on Tuesday.

Glancing over at the discarded leaflets, he decided that maybe he would get a chance to visit the cathedral after all.

Feeling tired, he flopped back and rested his weary head on the pillow to relax for a while before dinner. His eyes felt heavy and slowly drifted closed.

He woke up nearly two hours later, having dozed off.

Feeling a bit disorientated, he checked the time. It was seven o'clock in the evening and he realised that he should probably get dressed and hurry down to the dining room now so that he did not miss the evening meal.

Slinging on a fairly smart, polo style tee-shirt and a clean pair of trousers, he made his way down to the bar.

Two of the Kaiba Corporation employees were already in the bar, having a drink before dinner, so he introduced himself and they invited him to join them.

After a decent meal and a chat about the Gamescom weekend, he went to bed.

The following morning, he breakfasted with the Kaiba Corporation employees he had met last the previous evening and then made his way over to the convention with them. As he walked through the venue, Yugi was awed by the vastness of the huge hanger they were in.

It was easy to spot the Kaiba Corporation trade stand looming above many of the others. No expense had been spared. But it was not all about Kaiba Corporation and Yugi was happy to see Kaiba's staff had set up an impressive backdrop for his game.

It had been built to replicate the game demonstration he and Kaiba had performed on the space station and those stepping into the display to sample the game would be transported into space, giving them the illusion that they really were on the space station, looking down on Earth.

But it still did not escape him how the KC logo dominated the advertising – typical Kaiba.

He imagined that even Kaiba would be amazed by such a spectacle! Although, probably not. Hadn't he said only a few days ago, that attending such an unimportant event would be a waste of his valuable time?!

It made Yugi smile. If it was a waste of his time, why had he sent one of his best sales people and his most experienced technicians, and spent a fortune on a stand that was plastered with his company's advertising?

But Yugi's game was also sponsored by Kaiba Corporation and he was glad that his game still took centre stage. All Yugi needed to do, was turn up, be himself and impress everyone enough for them to want to buy his game.

"Mister Mutou?" One of the technical staff, who Yugi had not yet met because the man had been here until late last night and had arrived here very early this morning, called out, gaining his attention. "My name is Desmond Ito. Most people call me Des. Let me show you how everything works. The idea is to give people the best immersive experience possible." Des sounded like he had grown up in America. He also talked fast and was quite animated.

Yugi introduced himself and they shook hands. Des had quite a crushing grip, but Yugi's own handshake was not weak either.

"If you sit down here," Des gestured, "I will sign in on the monitor next to you."

Nodding, Yugi sat down in front of one of the monitors and put the VR visor on. The screen in front of him lit up.

Immediately, he was inside the game and was facing Des. While there was just two of them, the game was capable of handling multiple players, who could either work alone, form partnerships, join a team, or set up a team of their own.

After one or two technical issues, which Yugi helped to iron out, everything was up and running.

If he had ever imagined that he was not well known outside of Japan, he was wrong. The King of Games was considered a high profile Japanese celebrity and he was drawing in the crowds. Television cameras were soon on him and journalists were already clamouring for interviews.

Yugi knew he should be used to it by now, but without his friends here to give him courage, or Seto Kaiba to deal with the media, he was on his own. To say he was nervous was an understatement.

But he got through it and the rest of the day vanished in the blink of an eye.

By the second day, the novelty had worn off a little and he felt under far less pressure. He was able to relax and enjoy himself a bit more. He was also getting much more into the technical side of things and was having fun learning how it all worked.

The feedback he was getting so far was good and his confidence in dealing with the endless questions about his game continued to grow. Maybe he could get used to all this adulation after all.

Just when he was feeling on top of the world, he suddenly heard a familiar voice. "Gutten tag Herr Mutou."

He had just about mastered enough German to understand what was being said and turned around to see a face he thought he recognised, but the hair was different.

The last time he saw this man his hair was long and pink. Yugi remembered him being even more flamboyant than even Pegasus. Although his hair now had white blonde streaks and was styled in a short bob, he was still recognisable. He was not wearing anything effeminate and frilly, like he was at the Grand Championships. Instead he had gone for a slightly more normal look and was dressed in a pale pink shirt, black slacks and black shoes. "Siegfried Von-Schroeder?"

"Oh! I'm impressed you remember me!" He sounded friendly enough, but Yugi was still a little unsure of his motives for coming to talk to him. In the past, there had been some pretty bad feelings between Seto Kaiba and Siegfried Von-Schroeder. They had patched up their differences and come to an agreement that would benefit both their companies, but it had ended bitterly when Kaiba launched an hostile takeover bid and bought out Schroeder Corporation in order to get a foothold in Europe. Yugi did not know the details, but imagined Kaiba had probably used underhand takeover tactics.

But Siegfried seemed to be smiling at him and did not appear to be annoyed at seeing Yugi manning such a large and impressive stand, that showed off the KC brand.

"Yes, erm..." Still feeling awkward about what had happened at the Grand Championships, Yugi scratched his head. "Yes, I remember."

"But I sense some trepidation from you Herr Mutou. But fear not, for that is all water under the bridge." His English, spoken with a slightly camp German accent, was flamboyant but easy enough for Yugi to understand. "There is no malice between Herr Kaiba and Myself. He paid a very handsome price for my company, and I have now branched out into pastures new."

Yugi nodded dumbly and listened. Siegfried certainly liked the sound of his own voice.

"In fact," he continued. "I am working here for a leading gaming magazine and I was wondering if you would like to dine with me this evening?"

Yugi chewed his cheek, unsure of Siegfried's motives. Yugi had nothing against him, but he had a history with Kaiba and he wondered if he might be after tapping Yugi for information that he could twist in a way that might slander Kaiba Corporation's reputation in Europe. He would have to be careful what he said.

"Don't look so worried Herr Mutou! All I would like is an exclusive interview with you." He raised an eyebrow teasingly. "No offence, but you are not my type. I like tall men."

Yugi was so embarrassed, he did not know how to respond. "I wasn't... I didn't think..." he spluttered. "But.. but if you would like an interview for your magazine, then..."

He was interrupted by an ebullient Siegfried.

"Wunderbar! I know a nice little restaurant not too far from here. It will be far quieter than trying to interview you here. I will even pay for your meal."

"Erm.. okay. It will have to be right after I finish here at six thirty, if that's okay? And then I want to be back at my hotel by nine because I promised I would ring my girlfriend to confirm my flight details." Unless she told him otherwise, he still considered Anzu his girlfriend.

"Of course. See you at six thirty," he chimed, in an irritating voice.

Yugi shook his head in bemusement as he watched him go. How did he just end up agreeing to an interview without negotiating any payment other than a meal? He would have to make sure he did not drink too much and end up saying anything bad about Kaiba.

Once out of sight, Siegfried smirked and gave a small shake of a triumphant fist. So far so good. The first phase was going to plan.

Heading outside, he met with a buxom blonde woman, who spoke with an Eastern European accent. "Well?!" She demanded.

"He's agreed to meet me after he finishes here."

"Have you got the rest of our money?" she hissed, menacingly.

For a split second, he wondered what on earth he had got himself into by hiring these thugs. They were ruthless and unfriendly. They had demanded he pay upfront, but he had managed to talk them into half now and half when they had completed the task. But it seemed they were still pushing for full payment. He just hoped they would not hurt Yugi too much in the process.

"The remainder will be paid in Swiss Francs. I will give you the code and location of the safety deposit box after you have kept our agreement."

She ground her teeth and scowled at him, but did not pursue it. "What about the target?"

"He agreed to an interview over dinner when he finishes working here. I will Meet you back here at six thirty sharp."

With a nod of the head, she walked away.

::::::::::::

When Yugi left the venue, he looked around to see Siegfried was already waiting for him outside.

When he walked over to where Siegfried was standing, he was surprised to see he was accompanied by an attractive woman in her mid twenties, whom was introduced to him as Davina. "Would you mind if she joins us?" Said Siegfried.

Yugi knew the question was rhetorical, but he did not mind.

"She is a student journalist and has been very keen to meet you," Siegfried continued. "With your permission, I will be recording our conversation? But she will be taking notes while we talk."

"Yeah, that's not a problem," Yugi nodded and smiled. Even though tradition here did not require it, he forgot himself and bowed while offering a handshake. Unaccustomed to the politeness of Japanese culture, Davina giggled and offered him a charming smile as she accepted his handshake.

This was the hand with which the so called King of Games so expertly played his cards. She noted that even though his hand felt pleasantly warm, smooth and soft, his handshake was firm and confident. He was also quite cute and had lovely kind eyes and a nice smile. It was such a shame that should he fail to co-operate, his pretty face and hands might be damaged.

It did not escape Siegfried, just how much softer and gentler Davina seemed to be behaving now that Yugi was here. She seemed to almost be flirting with him!

Yugi got into the car with them and Davina drove them to the restaurant, which was a bit further away than Yugi had thought it would be. But he had no reason to suspect that anything untoward might happen.

On the other hand, Siegfried was feeling tense. He had tried to convince himself that he did not really care what happened to Yugi after he handed him over to Davina and her companions, but he was struggling with his conscience. Yugi was paying the price for Seto Kaiba's dirty business tactics.

But Seto Kaiba was untouchable, where as Yugi was being presented before him as a pawn in this game of revenge he was playing against an unsuspecting enemy.

Even though he was nervous, he needed to keep the same calm composure that he had the first time he tried to ruin Kaiba.

They were shown to a table and the waiter asked them if they would like something to drink.

"We should order a bottle of wine. You do drink wine Yugi?" Siegfried enquired casually, as he perused the wine list.

Yugi was slightly hesitant. "I do, but I want to stay sober," he replied. "So I might just have a soft drink."

"Are you worried you might become too talkative?" Siegfried teased. "You need not worry. I am not trying to trick you."

"It's not that," Yugi deflected. "It's the last day of the convention tomorrow and I want a clear head." He stuck his nose in the menu. It was in German, with some translations into English, but he was still struggling to understand most of it.

"If you will not join me with the wine, why not try a beer? We are famous for our beer in Germany!"

Yugi chewed his bottom lip. One glass of beer would not hurt. He could make it last and it might stop Siegfried from insisting he drink wine. "Okay, I will have a half litre of... What one is like larger?" He was pointing at the list.

"You need to look for a Pilsener. Kolsch is brewed locally in Cologne and is very good," Siegfried explained.

"O...okay. I will have a half litre of that then." Looking slightly sheepish, he held the menu out.

"Do you think you could translate this for me?"

After having the menu explained, he decided to order the bratwurst; he had never had sausages before and wasn't Germany supposed to be famous for them?

When his beer arrived, Yugi sipped at it and nodded. It was very good and would be easy to just gulp down. But he would have to make it last. "I just need to use the gents," he muttered, excusing himself.

Seizing her chance, Davina pulled out a small packet and quickly emptied it into his drink. It quickly dispersed. "I did not expect it to be this easy," she whispered, smiling reassuringly at Siegfried, who was chewing his lip and looking uncertain.

"I hope you know what you're doing?" His voice barely audible. But it was too late to back out now. Even if he did, these thugs would still demand the rest of the money and may even blackmail him for more.

But he could always ask them not to kidnap Yugi and suggest they just take the laptop – Yugi would be too drugged to notice it was being stolen. The only reason they were kidnapping Yugi in the first place was to gain easy access into Kaiba's computer system.

In the past few years, Kaiba's firewall and data security had been subjected to several attacks and as a result it was now one of the hardest in the world to infiltrate. Mokuba Kaiba was a computer genius – even better than Seto – and it would be a challenge to get far without detection.

But Siegfried had come up with a possible way in, and Yugi Muto and his game were the key to not being detected until it was too late.

He swallowed nervously as Yugi returned to the table, sat down and picked up his drink to take another sip.

He needed to remind himself that Yugi was colluding with his enemy. By beating Leon, Yugi was also responsible for foiling his plans at the Grand Championship Tournament, and because of this he had held a grudge against Yugi ever since. If he used him to severely damage Kaiba's satellite system, it would not only cost Kaiba a lot of money, it would also damage his reputation. Yugi's body would most likely never be found and he would be presumed responsible for the damage to Kaiba. Siegfried would effectively be killing two birds with one stone.

Unfortunately, the man he had met this afternoon was nothing like the boy he remembered at the championships. He was far too likeable to hand over to these thugs!

But he had no other alternative. There was no way he could risk getting caught a second time. Kaiba had warned him, that if he was ever caught plotting against Kaiba Corporation again, he would make sure that Siegfried rotted in Hell.

Putting on a friendly smile, he asked the first question. "So, tell me a little of how you came up with the idea for your game, Yugi?"

"That's easy," Yugi chuckled and started explaining that he wanted a game where people could meet online, or in person, and that could be played by everyone.

As they talked and ate, Yugi finished his beer and found himself feeling a bit light headed. He ignored it and put it down to tiredness. He did not object when another beer was ordered for him.

He had only taken a couple of sips of his second beer, but the world was starting to spin and he found himself feeling very strange. What was in this stuff?!

When they stood up to leave, he could hardly walk and was staggering about all over the place.

"Excuse my boyfriend, he has a little bit too much to drink." Linking her arm through Yugi's, Davina smiled sweetly as she apologised to the man and woman he had bumped into.

Once outside, Siegfried started to panic. "What if someone suspects?"

"Go home Siegfried," she ordered, "I will call a cab and take him home." She pulled out her phone and hit dial. A man answered immediately. "We're ready," she said, simply.

A couple of minutes later a black Audi Q8 turned up, being driven by a man that Siegfried only knew as Dimitri. He found Dimitri frightening and was happy to leave them to it and go home. He could not allow himself to continue feeling sorry for Yugi.

"I like your breasts," Yugi slurred, trying to grope Davina as she pushed him into the back seat of the Audi. Seconds later, he was slumped over, passed out and snoring.

Davina got into the front, fastened her seat belt and Dimitri drove away.

::::::::::::

It was not like Yugi to go back on a promise! Anzu had made sure she was home this afternoon and had eagerly been awaiting Yugi's video call. She could not wait to see his face and hear how his game had been received.

But it was now ten past four in the afternoon and he still had not called. What time was it in Germany?

She worked out it was ten past ten in the evening. Maybe he was still getting used to the time difference and had fallen asleep. No! He would not fall asleep without calling or messaging first.

Maybe he was still working.

Anzu also had to go to work.

The starting wage for an apprentice dancer was poor and her position was also subject to her probationary period being satisfactory. This meant that Anzu was still not yet in a position where she could give up her job in the restaurant. She would have to get ready to go to work in an hour and she did not want to miss Yugi.

Hoping she would not wake him or interrupt him in the middle of media duties, she decided to call him.

It rang several times, but rather than go to voicemail, she was cut off.

Puzzled, she frowned at her phone, wondering why Yugi would reject her call. Or maybe it was a network connection error? Shrugging, she sent him a message asking him to call her back. Or at least message her.

When Yugi's phone started to ring, the two occupants in the front looked at each other. Someone was trying to reach their hostage.

Davina reached between the seats and plucked Yugi's phone from his jacket pocket as he remained in his drug induced sleep, completely oblivious.

Davina glanced at the icon flashing on the screen.

"It must be a girlfriend or something," Davina informed her colleague, Dimitri, in Lithuanian.

"Reject the call and ditch the phone," he ordered, rather tersely. "We can't risk them using it to track us."

Davina rejected the call and moments later a message pinged up, but after trying to open the message and getting three failed attempts at the security password, she was locked out of the phone. Swearing, she waited until they were going over a bridge spanning a river and hurled the the phone out of the window, intending for it to land in the deep, murky, fast flowing water below.


	13. Hostage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi wakes up to find himself prisoner in an unfamiliar room. What do his captors want with him? He's about to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter contains cruelty to Yugi.

Yugi woke up feeling like a truck had run over him.

Someone had covered him with a light weight blanket, but he quickly realised, that apart from his boxers, he was naked. Since he only remembered having one beer, he immediately concluded that his drink must have been spiked.

He squinted up at the darkened ceiling. It took him a few moments to stop feeling dizzy and disorientated, but he soon became aware that this was not his hotel room.

A rush of panic surged through him causing him to sit up too quickly.

Cupping his hands over his face, he stayed still for a few moments until his head stopped spinning. His throat was so dry and his mouth tasted horrible from going to sleep without brushing his teeth.

He could not remember anything beyond ordering his meal and a beer. He could not even remember leaving the restaurant! So who had undressed him and put him in bed? He prayed to any God that would listen that it was not Siegfried, and that this was not Siegfried's bed!

Thankfully, there was no sign that anyone else had been in the bed with him, and he was pretty certain that no one had taken advantage of him while he was drugged because he did not feel like he had been intimate with anyone, or that he had been violated in any way.

So who's bed was this? And where was he?

He was about to get up and investigate when the door opened and Davina walked in. "Ah, good! You're awake." She handed him a large glass of water. "Drink this!"

He glared at her. "It's not drugged is it?"

"No. It is just water. I'm afraid I needed to drug you last night in order to bring you here. You need to drink plenty to flush the drug out of your system."

Still doubting it was safe to drink, he sniffed the water before taking a sip. He decided to drink it bit by bit, just in case.

"Why did you kidnap me? If you wanted an exclusive interview, you only had to ask me nicely." He glared at her angrily.

She shrugged. "I doubt you would have come willingly if we had told you what we wanted."

"And what do you want?"

"You will find out in due course."

A ransom. It had to be a ransom; why else would they kidnap a world famous duelist? "Am I a prisoner?"

"Not exactly," she smiled sardonically and Yugi realised that he was in a lot of trouble.

"Why did you take my clothes? Where are they?" He intended to remain defiant. If they wanted their victim to show weakness and fear, then they had picked on the wrong man.

"A naked man will not try to escape." She smirked at him. "But we did spare you your modesty by leaving your underwear on."

He huffed and took another sip of his water. He was very thirsty and it seemed to be okay so he drunk the rest.

She snatched the empty glass from his hand and left the room, leaving him alone in silence.

Clutching the blanket around himself, he got off the bed and looked around the room.

He urgently needed the bathroom.

He tried the main door but she had locked him in, so he tried another door, which thankfully opened into a small bathroom with a toilet, basin and a shower cubicle. Standing at the toilet, he noticed a small window that was just about big enough for a slim person like him to squeeze through. "A naked man won't escape," he growled. "Just watch me."

Throwing the blanket over the towel rail, he climbed onto the cistern and tried to open the window but it was locked and the key had been removed. And a closer inspection of the glass showed that it was reinforced double glazing. There was no way he would be able to smash it and get out onto the sloping roof of the garage, that was attached to the house.

"Shit!" Sighing in defeat, he jumped back down onto the floor and scratched his head. He needed to think this through and find a way out. What would Atem do? Apart from defeating them in a Shadow Game, he couldn't think of anything. Shadow Games only worked with the Millennium items anyway, and they were long gone. Without his other self or his friends to help, he was well and truly imprisoned here.

Back out in the main bedroom, he felt a chill run down his spine and shivered. It was still very early in the morning and although it was August, it actually wasn't all that warm in here. Retrieving the blanket, he wrapped it around himself again. It not only warmed him a little, it also made him feel less vulnerable.

Pulling open the curtains, he looked through the window. The sun was just about starting to rise. The garden was immaculate and beyond the garden was a forest. It was a long drop from the first floor window, but it might be worth the risk of hurting himself if he did manage to escape. He tried to open the window but it too was locked and the key removed.

Was Siegfried in on it? Was he the mastermind behind this?

But if Siegfried had kidnapped him and was holding him hostage in an attempt to make Kaiba pay a ransom, then his plan was doomed to failure. Kaiba would not even pay a ransom for his brother, let alone for him!

Although he was comfortable in his blanket, Yugi shivered again. If Kaiba refused to pay – which was a given – then he was doomed to either rot in this room, or wind up dead and buried, somewhere in that forest.

::::::::::::

Phone in hand, Seto Kaiba paced his office irritably. Yugi was not known for tardiness so where the hell was he? Seto could not understand why he would not show up to something he had been looking forward to for months before hand. "I don't know! I can't do much from here, you idiot! It's up to you to find him!" He barked at the snivelling technical support manager, who was calling him from the convention.

Apparently, Yugi had not been seen at the hotel last night and had not been at breakfast this morning either. They had asked reception and his entry card was still in the box. They had gone to his room and discovered that he had not slept in his bed that night, but his stuff was still in his room. The support crew had then decided to go the convention, expecting him to find him there.

But when he had not turned up, they grew worried. And the first person they thought to call was Seto. Why? It was not like he could do anything about it from thousands of miles away, on the other side of the world! "Ask around," he sighted disinterestedly. "Someone must have seen him."

He was met with a moment of silence, some rustling and whispering in the background. An then: "But...Sir.."

Seto grew more impatient with the incompetence he was hearing on the other end and it made him snap. "Why not wrack your tiny brains and try to remember what happened when you last saw him? For all we know, he might have gone off with a fan-girl and spent the night with her!"

"Yes Sir! Now that you mention it, he did speak to someone. A tall, rather effeminate German man. I didn't get his name, but Yugi seemed to know him, and before he left, he said something about an interview."

Seto smirked and rolled his eyes. "There. See! It wasn't that difficult to search your feeble memory now, was it?"

"No Sir!"

Seto was pretty sure he knew who Yugi had gone to meet. "This man he spoke to; did he have pink hair by any chance?" Could Yugi have spent the night in the company of Siegfried Von Schroeder? Well, well, he would never have suspected Yugi of being that way inclined. But he would not put it past Siegfried to try and seduce Yugi into giving Kaiba Corporation secrets away.

"No Sir! He had blonde hair, short and flicked back."

"Oh!" Seto frowned. Then who the hell had Mutou gone off with? "Keep asking around. He's bound to show up eventually."

He ended the call and immediately his phone rang again. Mazaki! What did she want? Should he tell her that her prospective husband had gone off with a fan boy and might swing both ways? It would be hilarious to hear her reaction.

He answered curtly and then barely got a word in as the rather stressed sounding woman bombarded him with her problems.

"Kaiba! Sorry to ring you, but have you heard from Yugi? He was supposed to video call me but didn't, and when I tried to ring him I got cut off and he hasn't replied to my messages. I'm really worried. It's not like him and I'm hoping you might have spoken to him... you know? About the game sales and stuff..." She sounded distressed and for once Seto felt sympathetic towards her.

"I'm sorry. I don't know anything. He probably got sidetracked with all the gaming technology on offer and forgot. I'm sure he will call you when he can be bothered."

Anzu was wounded by his sarcasm, but she was far too used to it to give him the satisfaction of a reaction. "Oh! well... okay," she sounded unconvinced. "Thanks Kaiba. I'm, I'm.. sure that's what's happened, then..."

"Goodbye Mazaki." He hung up.

Slumping back down in his executive chair, Seto pounded the keys on his laptop in annoyance. What the hell was Yugi playing at?

He fired off an e-mail to Yugi: For God's sake Mutou, get your ass back to the convention. They need you urgently. And ring your girlfriend. She's worried sick and I don't take too kindly to her pestering me in the hope that I know what you are up to.

::::::::::::

The door to Yugi's room opened and two rather thuggish looking men walked in. Yugi had been unconscious last night and had not seen the man with cruel grey eyes and black, close cropped hair. He did not know that the man was called Dimitri. It was Dimitri who barked the orders. "Get up! I have a job for you."

Yugi was curled up on the bed, wrapped in his comfort blanket. Pulling the blanket tighter, he sat up. "What do you want with me?"

The second man, who was about six foot tall and muscular, stepped towards him. The man had short, spiky hair dyed blonde and lots of tattoos on his bare arms; depicting demonic looking ghouls with machine guns. The man grabbed him by the arm and literally threw him towards the door.

Feeling his arm almost pop out of it's socket, Yugi yelped. The man's grip was cast iron and he could feel it bruising already from where his arm had been grabbed so roughly.

Rubbing his arm, he tried to gather his dropped comforter but was manhandled out of the door in just his boxer shorts. On the way out, his shoulder was knocked painfully against the door frame.

If roughing him up and leaving him almost naked was supposed to make him feel frightened and intimidated, it was working. He was terrified. "Please... You don't need to push. I.. I won't resist!" He pleaded, as he was dragged into another room.

The thug ignored him and pushed him down into a chair. Yugi's hip caught painfully on the armrest as he was forced to sit. Flinching, he rubbed at where it hurt.

In front of him was a desk and... He blinked in surprise. "My laptop?!" He had completely forgotten about his laptop! He'd had it with him when he left the convention and had placed it under his chair in the restaurant. He was relieved it had not been left there as it held the software he had written for his game and some other ideas he was working on for another game.

But what did they want with his laptop? Did they want to steal his designs as well as demand a ransom?!

Sitting opposite him, Davina just smirked.

Yugi fixed her with a glare. "There's nothing on that laptop. And Kaiba will never pay a ransom for me, if that's what you're after?"

His defiance was bet with a backhanded slap to the side of his face from the man with the spiteful eyes. From the thug's point of view, not a lot of force had going into the slap – it was more of a warning. But the man was a brute and when his large calloused hand connected with Yugi's face, it jolted his head to the side and made him flinch.

The brute with the tattoos laughed at him mockingly. "This is not a game, runt."

"Will you two stop damaging him?! We want him to help us. He can't do that if he's concussed."

The big brute grunted and grabbed Yugi's hair, pulling his head back. "Co-operate star-hair and we might spare you." He roughly shoved Yugi forward again.

How could he co-operate if he did not even know what they wanted?

He scowled, but did not voice his thoughts as he did not want to be hit again.

Davina got up and dragged her chair close to Yugi. She dragged her fingers over the bruise already forming on his cheekbone, making him wince. "I'm afraid my two friends like to mutilate their hostages. You do not wish for your lovely face to be permanently damaged, do you Yugi?"

Yugi gulped and shook his head, No he did not!

"Good," Davina purred. Yugi knew what she was doing: she was pretending to be nice in the hope that he would feel so at ease with her that he would tell her whatever it was she wanted him to disclose.

"What do you want from me?" He asked, weakly.

She smiled at him, like a cat about to pounce on its prey. "All you need to do is sign into to Kaiba Corporation's computer system."

"Me?! But I don't know how!" They had the wrong man if they wanted to hack into Kaiba's computers. They would have been better off kidnapping one of the technicians who were working at the convention.

Yugi thought about all of the numerous corporate takeover attempts and cyber attacks that Kaiba Corporation had faced. Pegasus, Noah and the Big Five, and of course, Siegfried. Each of those times, he and Atem had been forced to face up to the perpetrators and save Kaiba from financial ruin or even worse; death.

But thanks to all of those previous attacks, Kaiba now had one of the best firewalls in the world. Nothing could get through Kaiba's security systems.

"Oh.. come on Yugi. I know you're lying."

"I'm not," he shook his head. He doubted these people would be prepared to duel him for his freedom. "I'm just a gamer who likes to invent games. I don't know anything about computers."

Ignoring his excuses, she turned his laptop on for him. "I'm sure you have access to Kaiba Corporation's duel server. So be a good boy and sign in."

"No! I don't. I'm not an employee. I don't have access." He hoped they would buy his lies.

"Maybe you need a little persuasion." With a crack of his knuckles, tattoo man stepped forward. "Something to jog your memory."

In anticipation of a hard hit to the face, Yugi flinched and brought his arms up to protect his head. "I'm telling the truth!" He cried out.

However, the punch never came, and when he opened his eyes Davina had raised her own arm to stop the man from hitting him.

"There is no need to use violence yet," she ordered. The man snarled at her in annoyance and Yugi knew that she was the only person protecting him from a severe beating.

She gave Yugi a pitying look. "I cannot protect you from Mikhail indefinitely Yugi, so I would suggest you stop lying to us."

"I.. I'm not lying." He clenched his teeth and gave a small shake of his head. "Even if I did know how to sign into Kaiba's computers, there is no way you would be able to steal anything or upload a virus. His security is way too strong; it's like... the best in the world."

The man with the cruel eyes advanced on him menacingly. "You think we're amateurs?" He pressed a gun to Yugi's temple. "If you are that confident we will not succeed, then you have nothing to lose by signing in. Unless you would prefer your brains plastered all over the computer screed instead?" To press home his intent, he jabbed Yugi's head with the tip of the gun barrel and cocked the hammer.

For a moment, Yugi thought his number was up.

"N.. no!" He almost shrieked. "I didn't think that.. it's just... Everyone will know I'm missing! The police will be looking for me. Okay, I can gain access. But the moment I sign into my laptop, Kaiba will be able to trace where I am." He closed his eyes tightly and tensed.

The man lowered his gun and Yugi opened his eyes and almost sagged with relief that he had won a reprieve.

The looks on their faces was enough to tell him that they probably had not thought of that. If Siegfried had chosen these people to do his dirty work, then he had picked a bunch of idiots.

The three of them ignored him for a moment, while they argued in their own language – which Yugi assumed to be something like Russian – before turning back to him.

"You lie!" The one with cruel eyes shouted at him.

"I'm not lying. If you're asking me to hack in to Kaiba Corp. and put a virus into the system, it will fail. Kaiba's firewall will isolate it and destroy it before it does any damage. And before you know it, this place will be swarming with Kaiba's men and the police. If you let me go, I promise I won't ever breathe a word that I was kidnapped. I will just say I went to a nightclub and drank too much and got on a train to somewhere, by mistake." Yugi knew he was taking risks, but it was his only chance. He doubted they would let him go like he had just suggested, but since he was probably already a dead man, it was worth trying.

The ball was now in their court.

He watched nervously as they continued their debate. Fear made him shiver and even though he was not hot he felt beads of sweat forming on his face and torso. Death would mean that he would get to see Atem again, but he still did not want to die.

Davina turned to him. "Once you sign in, how quickly before Kaiba will find you?" Yugi had no idea but he could use his gaming skills and bluff.

"If he's looking or me, immediately. Then when he sends someone here to check what's going on, then, however long it would take them to get here."

The trio of kidnappers looked at each other. If what their captive was saying was true, they might have as little as twenty minutes to get away from here; which was not long to dispose of their hostage and collect up their equipment. Their vehicle should not leave any tyre tracks on the mosaic brick driveway but their fingerprints were all over this room, so it would need cleaning up. Had Siegfried duped them into doing his dirty work because he knew, that although the virus might stand a slim chance of being successful, there was a good chance that the culprits would be identified and caught?

But Siegfried had only paid them half of the one hundred thousand Euros they had agreed, and had promised the rest once the virus had been uploaded. If they wanted the remainder of their money, they would have to see it through. After that, they could easily vanish, somewhere inside Russia.

Twenty minutes to get away might not be long, but it was long enough if they planned and executed it correctly.

The house they were using, was deep in the countryside and was densely forested, so they would stand a good chance of finding somewhere secluded to get rid of Yugi and his laptop.

Unsure what was going on, Yugi suddenly found himself being dragged back to his room and locked in. They had not told him anything so he had no idea what was going to happen next. He had bought himself some time, but how long would it be before they decided he was now a liability and dispensed with him?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Yugi. I don't mean to be so cruel to him, honestly!


	14. Virus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi remains hostage and his life hangs in the balance, while Kaiba and Mokuba are working hard to locate him. Anzu is worried and Jonouchi confronts Kaiba over Yugi's situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so I have to confess that I know very little about how computers work (That's my husband and son's area of expertise) so if what I have written about them trying to infect Kaiba's computers with a virus is utter rubbish, please don't point that out to me. And let's face it, much of Kaiba's technology is pretty much ridiculous and impossible anyway.
> 
> Warning: This chapter has yet more cruelty to Yugi. It also mentions death, guns and a knife.

Since his watch and possessions had been taken away by his captors, Yugi had no idea how long he had been in the room. He had lost track of the time and only realised that he had dozed off when he was woken up again by the sound of the door being opened.

Rubbing his eyes, he sat up and nearly jumped out of his skin at the sight of tattoo man standing over him.

"Here. Food!" The man barked gruffly. He placed a cup of water, a bowl of soup and a chunk of bread down on the dresser, before turning and walking out.

Yugi had not thought himself hungry, but suddenly realised, that despite his fear, he was starving.

::::::::::::

Yugi's disappearance was now becoming a serious concern. He had been missing for nearly twenty four hours and Seto had a bad feeling in his gut.

He was too stubborn to admit that he was worried, but he could not sleep.

Telling himself that it was merely out of curiosity, he got out of bed at two in the morning, and decided to track Yugi's whereabouts by tracing his mobile phone activity. It only took him five minutes to pinpoint that his phone had been in the same place since nine fifteen yesterday evening, European time. His concern grew when that place revealed itself to be on a riverbank, underneath a bridge on the autobahn.

Using his ultra hi-tech, state of the art satellite imaging system, he zoomed in close enough to be able to pinpoint the phone, and was able to see that it was resting on the mud, in front of a rainwater outlet. Unfortunately, he could not see inside the outlet, but it was large enough to conceal a body. "Shit!" He hissed through his teeth, grimacing.

Grabbing his phone, he immediately contacted Des, his chief technician in Germany, who had been the one to first notify him that Yugi was missing.

Despite the hard time he had given poor Des yesterday, Seto offered no apology for his abruptness and ordered him to search the area and report back the moment he had done so, with any developments.

Des was unsure exactly what Seto meant by developments but had a bad feeling about it.

He had come to know and like Yugi in the very short time they had been working together and was terrified he might find the young man's body. But he was too afraid of his boss to refuse the order to search the river bank.

Matters of security were also not something he was familiar with and in the absence of any of Kaiba's security team, he was forced to do the search himself.

Too afraid to go alone, he took an equally nervous colleague with him.

Seto waited for what seemed like forever for them to inform him of their findings and he was feeling far more anxious than he would care to admit. There was no way he wanted to entertain the possibility that his rival, colleague and dare he say 'friend' would be found face down inside a rat infested drainage outlet.

When his phone finally did ring, Seto noticed how his hand was trembling when he picked it up.

The technician had found Yugi's phone, but there was no sign of Yugi.

"Did you search the drainage outlet?"

"Yes Sir!"

"And the water?"

"We couldn't check properly as it's fast flowing and deep. But there was no sign that anyone had been on the river bank. We also walked a couple of hundred metres up and down, just to make sure."

"And you found nothing?"

"No," Des replied, anxiously. "Nothing."

Seto let out an audible sigh. He did not know whether to be relieved that Yugi had not been murdered and dumped in a concrete tube full of dirty water and rats, or disappointed because they had not found him.

Chewing on his knuckle thoughtfully, Seto quickly put started to put two and two together. It was glaringly obvious that the idiot had managed to get himself kidnapped. But why? It wasn't like Yugi was particularly important. Not as important as himself or Mokuba, in his opinion.

So if they had kidnapped him thinking Seto would pay a ransom demand for his safe return, they were going to be disappointed, because Seto Kaiba did not pay ransoms. And he doubted Yugi's family could afford to pay a ransom.

Talking of family... He should probably tell the Mazaki girl that her boyfriend had vanished.

Cursing at her for not picking up, he left a message telling her that Yugi's phone had been found under a bridge over the Rhine, but no Yugi.

He then instructed Isono to take a discreet security detail to Germany, just in case damage limitation an a clean-up operation was required.

::::::::::::

Anzu was in rehearsals and was only able to listen to Seto's message after retrieving her bag and phone from her locker during the lunch break.

Not caring about the consequences, she ran out and took the subway home in a daze. How she had kept it together in front of her colleagues or did not break down on the subway train, she had no idea. But the moment she was inside her apartment, the tears started to flow.

Yesterday, she had been a little perturbed when Yugi did not not call her. But now, with the news she had received from Seto, her worst fears were starting to grow. Yugi was always so friendly and trusting towards his fans and she worried that a disturbed fan might have tricked him and lured him into a trap.

When she returned the call and Seto Kaiba informed her that kidnap was definitely the most likely explanation for him going missing, she let out a pitiful gasp and almost collapsed.

Seto warned her not to tell anyone that Yugi was missing. He wanted it kept hushed from the authorities and the media. His own security team was already being dispatched to Germany and they would deal with the clean up operation.

What he meant by 'clean up' she had no idea, but it terrified her and she wished she could confide in her friends or her parents. But since she had to follow Kaiba's orders she had no choice. And anyway, she did kind of get his reasoning. If the media did get hold of this, then Yugi's life would be in even more danger.

But she wanted Yugi Back, safe and sound, and after agonising over it for a few minutes, she decided that for her own sanity, she needed to speak to someone. And the only person she could think of calling right now, was Jonouchi. So what if people thought he was a blabbermouth. She knew him well enough to know that he could keep quiet when he really needed to. And she had already spoken to him yesterday to see if Yugi had been in touch with him at all, and they had agreed to keep each other informed. Besides, Jonouchi was Yugi's best friend and would want to know that his buddy was missing.

Her call went straight to voicemail and she suddenly remembered that it was only around three thirty in the morning in Japan, so his phone was probably switched off.

Leaving a rather garbled message, punctuated with desperate attempts to stop her voice from cracking up, she cut off the call and sent a message apologising for sounding so stressed, but she needed him to call her urgently. Yugi was in trouble.

Dropping her phone on a cushion, she looked towards her door, willing the door buzzer to ring, in the hope she would hear Yugi's cheery voice over the intercom. She would let him in and they would rush into one another's arms and make mad passionate love. Never, ever again, would they decide that it was probably best if they split up and just remain friends.

She had lost Atem forever, she couldn't lose Yugi as well.

A fresh round of tears erupted at the possibility of that happening.

::::::::::::

A tense night followed. Fearing he had little chance of survival, Yugi tried to prise open the bathroom window, but it was no use. He thought about smashing the bedroom window, then kicking out the remaining glass and jumping to freedom. But they would probably hear him.

And even if he was successful in breaking the glass and escaping, he had nothing but his blanket to protect his bare skin. He would most likely be badly lacerated on the way out and then break a few bones when he landed on the patio below.

But what were his options? Jump out of the window, break both legs and bleed to death, or stay here and wait until they put a bullet in his head.

He did not like his odds.

Chewing his lip, he made a decision. He would rather die trying to escape, than sit around waiting to be executed.

Wrapping his blanket around his arm, he punched the window to test it's strength. It made a hollow thud but did not break. He was too afraid to hit it any harder. What he really needed was a heavy object, like a mallet, to stand any chance of breaking it.

The lampshade! He picked it up but it was only made of light weight, hollow stainless steel. He threw it at the window in a temper as hard as he could but it just made a loud clang, bounced off and broke in half.

Next, he tried the unit next to the bed! But it was too bulky for one person to lift up and swing at a window.

Realising that it was pointless, he gave a despondent sigh and flopped down on the bed to try and think of another way he might escape.

Getting up, he walked over to the door and gripped the handle. He knew the door would still be locked, but out of frustration and desperation he twisted the handle and pulled. No amount of pushing and pulling would make it budge. Trying the Jonouchi/Honda approach, he took a step back and kicked it with the heel of his foot, with all of his might. The door made a lot of noise but failed to break.

All Yugi had for his effort was a painfully bruised heel.

In the room along the landing, his captives heard him hammering against the door. Dimitri swore and stood up. Davina grabbed his wrist to stop him but he pushed her away.

"This was all your stupid idea, woman!" He should never have let her talk him into it. He was ex-military; weapons and violence were his speciality, not using an innocent Japanese celebrity to hack into one of the most famous companies in the world. But Davina (or rather Vasilisa – Davina was just an alias) had taken that damn job and wheedled her way in with that effeminate Siegfried Von Schroeder, because he was wealthy businessman and a potential target for blackmail.

And now they had ended up in this fix, while Von Schroeder sat in his mansion pretending not to know anything about an attempted computer hacking.

"What are you going to do?" Davina (Vasilisa) pleaded.

"What needs to be done. You told us we would be kidnapping an ordinary employee. You said nothing about it being the King of Games. He's a fucking Japanese celebrity!"

"How the hell was I supposed to know who he was?! Siegfried didn't tell me! He just said it would be an employee!" She shouted.

"Who gives a fuck who he is?" Tattoo man yelled. "You heard what the guy said! The moment he signs into Kaiba's network, we're as good as dead anyway."

"Not if they are concentrating on stopping the virus!" Davina (Vasilisa) argued. "Even if they find our location, it will take them time to get here. And when they do we will be long gone. All we need to do is pack up our stuff and clear out as soon as it's done."

"And what about the king of Games?" Dimitri gestured at the room they were keeping Yugi in. "We can't take him with us and we can't leave him here alive. He's seen our faces."

Sitting on the bed rubbing his foot and feeling despondent, Yugi startled when he heard the raised voices. They were arguing, but not understanding their language, he had no idea what they were saying. But he was willing to bet it was over what he had said about Kaiba finding them.

He listened in the hope of picking up the odd word but understood none of what was being said.

"We take him with us and..." Davina began, but was interrupted by Dimitri.

"What? Don't be so stupid Vasilisa." Realising that he had just used her real name by mistake, instead of her alias, he clamped his mouth shut.

"You idiot! What if Mutou is listening...?" Would he have understood anyway? He might certainly have picked up on the name. There was only one way of finding out, she hastened towards Yugi's prison room.

Yugi had heard the man shouting but had not understood a word of it and if he had heard her name, he did not recognise it as a name.

Hearing the footsteps on the wooden floor and the voices coming closer, Yugi gasped. They must have heard him kicking the door and were coming for him. He quickly threw himself on the bed and pulled the comforter over himself, pretending to be asleep.

The door flew open and a torch was shone at him. He sat up and yawned, while shading his eyes from the bright beam. "Huh?"

Davina shone the beam of the torch at the broken lamp on the floor and huffed. "What did you hear?" She demanded, pointing the beam back at Yugi.

He shielded his eyes from the brightness. "Nothing," he lied. "I was asleep. Why?"

"You lie! Get up!" Doing as he was told before one of the men rough-handled him again, he got up and followed her back into the room where they had his laptop set up.

"Here," she handed him his clothes. "Put them on." Relieved to have his clothes back, he quickly dressed.

As soon as he was dressed, he was pushed back into the seat in front of his lap top. "Sign in." He noticed they were all wearing gloves. They must have wiped their finger prints from the furniture.

"You do know what will happen when I turn it on and sign in?"

"Yes, we do. But you see, we are still owed fifty thousand Euros. In order to get our money, all we need is for you to input the virus. It does not matter if it fails, we will have done our part. Even if Seto Kaiba pinpoints our location, it will take an hour to get here by road, by which time we will be long gone."

They obviously didn't know that Kaiba would most likely use an aeroplane or helicopter and Yugi was not about to let on.

"What if I still refuse to co-operate?" He shakily asked.

Cruel eyed man stepped towards him. "That is not an option. You will do as we say." He pointed a knife, dangerously close to Yugi's face. "You have a pretty girlfriend in New York." He smirked nastily, causing Yugi to fill with dread. "I have a brother in New York. It would be such a shame if she were to meet with a nasty accident."

How did they know about Anzu?! He did not know that they had seen her name when when she tried to ring him. And it would be easy enough for them to search the internet for Yugi and people close to him.

"No!" He pleaded, desperately. "Hurt me all you like, but please don't hurt Anzu!" He was almost sobbing.

"Then sign in!" Cruel eyed man yelled, slamming his hand on the desk, causing Yugi to flinch.

Tentatively, he reached out and hovered his hands over the keyboard. "I can't do this," he whimpered. "I can't break Kaiba's trust." What if the virus did succeed? Or partially succeeded. Kaiba would be damaged and would see Yugi's game as a liability. He would remove it from his servers and it would be withdrawn from sale. Yugi would bring shame on his family.

He had been backed into a corner. His life, his reputation and family name, for Anzu's safety.

"Will you promise not to hurt Anzu if I do this?"

"We don't make promises. Do as we tell you or she will not dance again."

Yugi shivered in fear. He was dammed no matter what, but if there was a chance that Anzu might be spared. "What will you do with me once I have done what you want?" He needed to know, but was unsure if he wanted the answer.

"You will come with us while we decide what to do with you," Davina (Vasilisa) answered.

Yugi noticed how cruel eyes man shot her an angry look. "He has seen our faces. He must die." Yugi did not understand what he said, but had a bad feeling about it.

"But not here you idiot. We don't have time. We will leave his laptop here to finish running the virus program." She turned to Yugi and spoke in English. "If you wish your girlfriend to be safe, then you will do as I tell you. My friend here does not make threats and not carry them through."

Yugi felt the sharp tip of the knife snick the top of his ear. "I will torture you as well."

"No!" Davina/Vasilisa stopped him from cutting Yugi. "If we spill his blood, they will know he was tortured. I did some research online and he has a history with Kaiba. I want to make this look like he did it because of his long running grudge. When he dies, it will look like suicide." Again, Yugi could not understand them but somehow knew they were discussing what they might do with him.

"She wants to spare you, but I will have no problem watching you die in agony. Now turn on your laptop and enter the virus." He was handed a USB device, which contained the virus.

"I don't know what to do with this?" He looked at them in confusion. "I don't have access to Kaiba's data banks or anything."

"Your game runs on Kaiba's server, which links the game players using the KC satellites, does it not?"

"Y...yeah," Yugi nodded slowly.

"Good. Then I'm assuming you wrote the specification for your game and have the files stored on your laptop?" Yugi did not answer. Kaiba had told him not to leave any files where they might be easily stolen, but he had forgotten about it. "Then you will know how to make changes to the code."

He bit his lip. Now he was beginning to understand. He had access to the server that ran his game and could implement bug fixes and updates to the software if he needed to. They wanted him to upload a line of virus infected code into his game and send it to the game server. He did not know what sort of damage the line of code might do, but it was probably designed to go undetected and would only run once players around the world began to link up and play, it would transfer itself into the mainframe and take down Kaiba's network of satellites, and possibly even the space station if it managed to reach there.

But Kaiba's security was good. He knew for a fact that Seto had got Mokuba and Rebecca to design a new anti virus and malware program, that would detect every potential attack. And those two were experts – the best there was. He had faith that the moment he fired up his laptop, its location would be detectable. But would they be able to track it quickly enough to send someone here? Would they be able to see what he was doing? Were they even bothered about him going missing enough to be looking?!

He could only hope.

Grimacing, he reluctantly turned on his laptop. "Sorry Kaiba." His hands were shaking as he plugged in the USB stick and then opened his files. He found the line of code they wanted altered and hesitated.

"Hurry up!" Davina hissed. She sounded tense. "This is taking too long." Ten minutes had already passed.

"It's takes time and my hands are shaking. I can hardly type," Yugi stammered.

::::::::::::

Meanwhile, Seto was trying to decide on his best course of action.

"What do you want me to do Seto?" Mokuba was watching as Seto sat drumming his fingers on his desk. There must be some way they could locate Mutou. Maybe it was time to start inserting GPS trackers into the armpits of his employees.

"I don't know. He can't have just vanished into thin air. I'm certain Siegfried has got something to do with it." He had done a bit of digging and had discovered that the man Yugi had left the venue with was indeed Siegfried Von Schroeder. But why? "Mokuba! What would you do if you were Von Schroeder?" He already knew the answer to that but wanted Mokuba to come to the same conclusion.

"That's easy! I would use Yugi to try and hack into our computers."

"Exactly! But our firewall is far too sophisticated and would be impossible to get through... unless.. That's it! Mokuba! I want you to monitor the servers running Yugi's game for anything strange."

"Like what?"

"Anything. A virus."

"Did Yugi have his laptop with him? I made sure that no third party servers can gain access, so don't see how they would be able to access our systems and make changes without it. They would be denied access and their own server would be destroyed by a counter virus." He was proud of his anti attack system.

"I don't know. But Siegfried is a computer expert, so we have to assume the people involved know what they are doing."

"Okay, well I am monitoring Yugi's devices and his password but he's not logged on."

Seto ordered Mokuba not to take his eyes off the screen, while he went into the kitchen to get coffee.

The sound of tyres scrunching to an erratic halt on gravel, followed by a car door slamming, made him look up from his espresso machine. The sight of an irate Jonouchi running towards the front door made him groan. "Who the hell opened the gates and let him in?" He snapped at the maid, who was busy mopping the floor.

"I.. I don't know Sir," she stammered.

Seto huffed when the doorbell started to chime, relentlessly. Of all people, the damn Mazaki girl had to go and tell him!

Outside, Jonouchi was cursing under his breath for Kaiba to hurry up and open the door.

The butler was just about to open it when Seto appeared, mug of coffee (with a double shot) in hand. "It's okay, I'll get it." The butler bowed and stepped aside. "In the meantime, tell them to prepare my Blue Eyes White Jet. I'm going to Germany."

Seto yanked the door open just as Jonouchi launched himself forward to pummel the door again. The blonde toppled forward and nearly fell into Seto's arms. Seto jumped aside just in time, but still managed to slop some of his coffee on the floor. "What do you want, you idiot?"

"Quit callin me an idiot, Moneybags! What's happened to my buddy? If he's been kidnapped cuz a you... I'm gonna..."

"You're gonna what?" Seto retorted angrily. God! This moron never changed. He always reacted aggressively, without thinking, or gaining the facts. "I am the one person pulling out all stops to find Yugi. But if you get on my nerves, I might leave him to die."

"You Wha...?! What do ya mean.. die?" Did that mean Kaiba knew where Yugi was and who had him?

Seto snorted at the worried look of horror on the Mutt's face. "Relax. I have no intention of letting criminal scumbags get away with kidnapping a colleague in order to get at me."

Jonouchi growled under his breath but relaxed his aggressive stance slightly. "Why do you always assume it's about you Kaiba?"

"Because it usually is," he stated, bluntly.

Jonouchi flexed his fists angrily at the arrogance. "Tell me what's happened?"

Seto relaxed his own stance. If they both kept up their aggression then they would never find Yugi. "If you calm down and follow me, I will tell you what I know."

He took Jonouchi into the office, where Mokuba was sitting in front of a row of monitors. There was a panel, flashing with lines of code and a bunch of electronic equipment that Jonouchi did not understand.

He opened his mouth to speak but didn't know what to say. Thanking Kaiba for looking for Yugi was beyond his capability.

Mokuba turned and glanced at him with a small, worried smile. "Oh! Hey Jonouchi." He turned back to his tracking equipment.

"Hey Mokuba," Jonouchi managed to respond. "Any luck finding Yugi?"

Mokuba shook his head. "Not yet." His eyes narrowed slightly in concern. Needle in a haystack sprang to mind.

"What can I do?" He hated just being a bystander. He needed to do something or he would go crazy.

Seto bristled slightly. "If you want to help Yugi, then I suggest you keep out of the way and let us deal with it."

"Why? What makes you think..." Jonouchi started to argue, but Seto did not let him finish his sentence.

"This is between me and Siegfried Von Schroeder. I am going to Germany to find Yugi." He spun on his heel to leave.

"Wait up Kaiba... I'm coming with you." Jonouchi fixed his retreating back with a defiant look. "If that creep is involved, I wanna beat the crap out of him personally!"

Seto spun on him. "Then you will have to beat me to it!" He said bluntly and walked out, leaving an irate, worried Jonouchi standing there.

Jonouchi felt helpless. He wanted to find Yugi, not idle away his time here – he had made a promise to Anzu.

What was a guy who liked to beat things up going to do with a bunch of computer screens?

Mokuba suddenly gasped. He hit a button and zoomed in on the screen. "Seto!" He called, using his communicator. "I think I've found him. His password has just been entered into his laptop. I will send you its location."

Seto's voice came back over the speaker "Good work Mokuba. Keep monitoring it. If Siegfried is involved, then it is likely to be a very clever virus."

"Don't worry big bro. Nothing will get through me!"

::::::::::::

The moment Yugi had finished typing, he sat back. The word execute popped up but he could not do it. Davina (Vasilisa) reached over and hit enter for him. Pink rose petals filled the screen – a gift from Siegfried.

"Is that it?!" The cruel eyed man snarled.

As soon as Davina confirmed that it was, Yugi was yanked to his feet. He tried to grab his laptop but was stopped. "Leave it. We do not want them tracking you."

"But all my files..." he started to protest, but was shoved roughly forward.

"You won't need those where you're going," tattoo man sneered.

Yugi's heart lurched – they were taking him to a place where they could dispose of him so that his body would never be found.

It was still dark when they went outside. Yugi was bundled into the back of the Audi and pushed into the rear foot-well. He was held there by cruel eyed man's boot.

He could hardly move and was getting cramped. He had no idea where they were going but they were travelling for ages. Eventually, the vehicle stopped in the small clifftop car parking area of a local beauty spot and Yugi was dragged out of the vehicle. His hips, legs and back hurt from being crushed in an uncomfortable position for so long.

The sky was still dark but the dawn felt imminent. Yugi guessed it to be between four thirty and five in the morning.

Looking around, all he could see was forest to one side and a huge valley on the other. The view would be stunning once the sun started to come up, but he doubted he would live to see it.

A notepad and a pen was shoved into his hands. "Write a note." Davina sounded afraid and almost upset as she gave him the order.

"What sort of note?" He innocently asked, although he had some idea of what she had implied.

Cruel eyed man snarled at him. "A suicide note. And hurry, we don't have long." Even he sounded tense.

Yugi's hands were shaking too much to write anything. "I..I can't. I don't know what to put."

"Just say you're sorry for what you've done and you can't live with the consequences, or something," said Davina.

As he scribbled his note in Kanji: 'Sorry for what I've done' he was trying not to fall to his knees and cry. He had been in life or death situations before, but had held his fate – his cards – in his own hands. This time he had no cards left to to play. This time Atem would not come to his rescue.

He was trying to think but had no idea how he could get out of this fix.

He waved the notepad at Davina, who took it and scowled. She tore the page off and shoved the notepad back at him. "In English! And sign it," she ordered. As soon as he had complied, she tore off the page and told him to put it in his pocket.

Both of her male colleagues pointed guns at him. "Now walk to the edge."

Yugi looked over his shoulder at the three foot tall concrete wall that had been built to prevent cars going too close to the edge of the cliff. He was too frightened to peer over it but tattoo man shoved him backwards towards it. Leaning against it, he looked over and was slightly relieved that the sheer drop was not immediately on the other side of the wall, but rather five or six feet away, over rocks and some scant shrubs.

"I refuse to jump," he stated, defiantly. "You will have to shoot me and then it won't look like suicide."

Tattoo man snarled and hit him, knocking him to his knees.

Yugi crouched there, holding the side of his face.

Suddenly, Davina started to panic as guilt gripped her. "Please! Stop this! Can't we just drive away and leave him here instead?" She sounded almost tearful and Yugi felt a glimmer of hope.

"Shut up woman!" Cruel eyed man grabbed her and shook her. "Pull yourself together! He can't live, he's seen our faces!"

Tattoo man pulled him to his feet and forced him over the wall.

As Yugi stood on the edge of the rocky cliff, he squeezed his eyes shut as he felt his tears starting to fall.

Over his shoulder, the first rays of sun were beginning to peer over the treetops, causing long shadows to crawl along the valley as they basked in its deep orange glow. Shadows, Yugi thought to himself.

"Jump or I will push you," he heard tattoo man snarl.

Yugi opened his eyes to look the man in the face. He fixed the man with a defiant glare, one that Atem would be proud of. "Sorry Anzu, Grandpa, Mum, Jonouchi, Honda, Kaiba." He muttered and looked over his shoulder at the rising sun. "Atem!" He called out to his friend, brother and soul mate. "Looks like I'm gonna see you again my friend; a whole lot sooner than we planned."

His kidnappers puzzled at his outburst.

A sudden calmness swept through him as he prepared himself. He was no longer afraid of death. Death was just the transition into another realm.

His kidnappers looked somewhat confused when he fixed them with a trademark smirk. "This game is far from over." He spread his arms, closed his eyes and looked skyward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for leaving you all with a cliff hanger (Just realised that cliff-hanger is a pretty poor pun as well).
> 
> Thank you for reading. I love reviews, so please, please leave one.


	15. Divine Intervention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seto Kaiba arrives in Germany to look for Yugi and to also punish the man he suspects of plotting against his company.  
> Meanwhile, as Yugi's life hangs in the balance, will he be able to able to successfully call upon the Egyptian Gods to save him?

At hypersonic speed, the Blue Eyes White Jet only took Seto Kaiba a fraction of the time to fly to Germany than it would if he flew by passenger jet.

Of course, flying at hypersonic speed was not for the faint of heart. Seto had undergone intense training to be able to withstand the forces asserted on the human body at such speeds. But while he was a trained jet fighter pilot, the Blue Eyes White Jet had been specially designed to dampen the forces asserted on the pilot, thus enabling the pilot to fly at high altitudes, without the need for oxygen equipment or a sick bag!

Originally a prototype design from the era when Kaiba Corporation had been a weapons manufacture, Seto had continued its development for his own personal use and not even the military had access to such an advanced aircraft.

It was also far more fuel efficient than the average fighter jet and truly was unique.

Coming out of hypersonic jump, it was approaching dawn when he entered German airspace. Slowing to just over one hundred knots, he flew in stealth mode –which cloaked him from the detection of radar– along the side of the valley, until he reached the spot where Mokuba had located Yugi's laptop being used.

From the information on his screen, it was still running. But so far, Mokuba had not detected any sort of computer virus trying to access the servers and Seto suspected that whatever had been uploaded was subtle, and would lie dormant and undetectable, until something, or someone, inadvertently activated it.

Looking around for somewhere he could land, he spotted the rather nice garden of a nearby house.

The vertical landing and take-off thrusters would most likely scorch their nicely manicured lawn, but that could not be helped.

The horrified, sleeping owners were immediately woken up by the noise and came rushing out to investigate. Their chins hit the floor when they came face to face with the jaws of a huge dragon painted onto the nose-cone of a state of the art fighter jet; a jet far more advanced than any of the latest military jets!

At first, they thought they were being invaded by aliens and were terrified. But when the cockpit opened and a tall, lean Japanese man jumped out, wearing a silver trench coat over an all black outfit, they were utterly stunned into disbelief. It was like something out of Star Trek or Star Wars!

The owner of the house started shouting hysterically at Seto in German.

Being fluent in eighteen different languages, Seto had no difficulty understanding what the man was ranting about. He approached the man and snorted dismissively. "I will pay for any damages." He tapped his wrist monitor and realised that Yugi's laptop was in the house next door. Shit! He had landed in the wrong garden. "What do you know about your neighbour?"

"Neighbour?" The couple looked at him in confusion.

"The house over there." He pointed at the other house, which was approximately fifty metres away, and was separated from this house by a fence and its own gardens.

"I.. I.. His name is Anthony Gunther. But he is away in Amsterdam, on business. He travels a lot."

"Do you know Siegfried Von Schroeder?"

"Erm.. yes. His family is very wealthy and powerful in Germany. I believe he is a friend and business colleague of Tony's."

Some friend Siegfried was if he was abusing the friendship by using the house to commit a crime while the owner was away! "Are they lovers?" Seto smirked nastily. The man looked slightly disgusted, but the woman smiled.

"Yes, I believe the were at one time. But I don't know if they still are. Why? What have they done?" She looked worried.

"Nothing that is of any concern to you," Seto stated, coldly. "Show me how I can get to the house." The way Seto was speaking was intimidating, and they quickly realised that they had best not pry any further and just do as they were told.

Still shell-shocked, the couple lead him to the gate at the side of their own house and pointed along the side of a neatly trimmed hedge, to the entrance driveway.

Pulling a gun, Seto ran the short distance along the road and stopped in front of a rather beautiful, Tyrolean style house. No lights were on in the house and there was no evidence that anyone was here.

Using the shadows, he ran to the front door and found that it was not properly closed, indicating that whoever had been here, may have left in a hurry.

Still playing it cautious, he stepped inside.

Gun at the ready, he quickly cleared the area downstairs. The rear kitchen and living area was open plan, but the front of the house was divided into a cosy television room, a games room and a small study. Everything was clean and tidy, just as one would expect someone to leave it if they were going away.

Climbing the stairs, Seto noticed a smell of stale bodies and cigarette smoke. Someone had obviously used the upstairs very recently. He cleared the master bedroom and found it had not been touched. Neither had the next room. But in the third room, there was evidence that someone had been here.

On the pillow, he found a couple of black hairs with a magenta tint on the tip. There was also a small amount of blood smeared on the pillowcase. "Yugi," he whispered to himself. So, he had been kept here by force.

Investigating the final room, he found Yugi's laptop set up on a small desk. The room was decorated nicely but was not being used as a bedroom because there was no bed. But there were several boxes, indicating it was being used for storage.

Looking around the room to ensure no one was hiding behind any of the boxes, waiting to jump out on him, he checked Yugi's laptop. The screen was black where it had switched into standby mode. He hit the return button and it lit back up to reveal rose petals swirling and floating on the screen.

He sneered. Just the sort of cheap calling card he would expect of Siegfried. He didn't know what was worse, Pegasus' stupid rabbit, or Siegfried's effeminate roses.

Tapping in a few commands, he cleared the roses from the screen and accessed Yugi's files. He quickly found what he was looking for.

He snorted at the altered line of code within Yugi's game. No wonder Mokuba had not found it; it had not even activated or infected the Kaiba Corporation servers yet. If Siegfried thought a pathetic little virus like this could harm Kaiba Corporation, then he was very much mistaken.

He deleted it and then contacted Mokuba. "Can you remote access Yugi's files?" He gave him the file name. "I think I have successfully deleted the virus, but I need you to go through everything and make sure there is nothing I have missed. Also, check the back up files for Yugi's game and make sure the correct code is restored."

"Is Yugi okay?" Mokuba desperately wanted to know. In the background, Seto could also hear the mutt barking for news of Yugi.

"He's not here. Whoever has him, took him with them. But as of yet, I have no idea where they might have gone. I will let you know as soon as I find anything, okay?"

Hanging up, Seto packed up Yugi's laptop and hurried downstairs. How many times had he told Yugi never to leave important files on his laptop where they might be accessed?

::::::::::::

"This game is far from over"

The words Yugi had just spoken, made Tattoo man snort with laughter. "What do you mean by that statement?"

"I think he has lost his mind," Dimitri called to his colleague, in a slightly mocking tone. "He thinks he's some sort of wizard," he sneered at Yugi with his arms aloft. "Just give him a shove and let's get going. This place is starting to creep me out."

Just as Tattoo man was about to climb over the wall to shove Yugi, the sky suddenly turned dark. Deep, reddish purple clouds were rolling up the valley like smoky dragons, obscuring the rising sun. The atmosphere was becoming dense and surreal – reminding them of a total eclipse of the sun. The sense of power emanating from within those clouds made tattoo man freeze on the spot, terrified.

Was Yugi some sort of sorcerer after all?!

::::::::::::

Leaving the house, Seto jumped slightly when he suddenly heard a rumble of thunder in the distance. He looked up at the sky. When he had gone into the house, it had been a perfectly clear but it was growing darker by the second. No storms were forecast. In fact, it was supposed to be a warm sunny day!

The clouds almost seemed to be alive, swirling with varying shades of glowing, dark, smoky red light. For several moments, he stood rooted to the spot and stared. He had he seen clouds like that before.

::::::::::::

Yugi could feel his connection with the Ancient Egyptian past bubbling up inside his soul. Even though he no longer wore the Millennium Puzzle or held the God cards, he could feel the Gods of Egypt awakening.

He recalled Kaiba claiming how he had summoned Obelisk to defeat Aigami, by his own force of will. Yugi hoped that the Gods would respond to his plea in the same way.

He raised his right arm aloft and pointed at the heavens. "Come forth Slifer; Dragon of the Skies!" Bolts of lightening erupted from the clouds, along with an ear piercing screech. Yugi's heart pounded in his chest – Slifer had answered him.

"Shut the fuck up!" Tattoo man screamed at him and reached forward to jab Yugi in the chest with his gun, But when he attempted to move, he felt his body being pushed backwards by a powerful force. All he could do was gasp as Yugi spun on his heel and jumped, upwards and outwards off the cliff, as though he had nothing to fear.

As he flew into the air, Davina screamed and covered her mouth. She and both her male colleagues screamed even louder, when less than a second later, an enormous, crimson, serpent like dragon, burst forth from the red and black clouds and headed straight for Yugi.

He may have given his captors the impression of carefree courage, but Yugi's heart was beating rapidly with the adrenaline produced by his fear.

Instead of free-falling quickly, he felt himself suspended in mid-air, as though the thickness of the atmosphere held him there.

Moments later, he was scooped up by Slifer's behemoth of a head, and tossed skilfully over the bony ridges that protected the back of the dragon's head. He found himself wedged into the back of Slifer's neck, where he was nestled safely between two of the God dragon's large scaly spikes.

He had never considered that Slifer might be able to bristle and move each of his scales individually, but their dexterity surprised him, despite their thickness and obvious strength.

He reasoned that a serpent dragon, as fast and agile as Slifer, would need to be able to move and tilt its scales, in order to make lightening fast adjustments in response to its surroundings and the conditions. He also found Slifer's neck to be surprisingly warm, and the protective barbs on the side of his neck stopped him falling off sideways.

Slifer bristled his scales, like a dog bristling its hackles, to push Yugi more into the centre of his neck, and then cupped one of his scales over the human to protect him as he sped along the ridge and soared into the sky.

Yugi managed to keep himself from sliding out from under the smooth scale again, by holding onto the edge of the scale. Feeling brave, he pulled himself up slightly and peered out to see what was happening.

The countryside below was rushing by so fast that he felt dizzy from the sheer speed and power the dragon produced.

But rather than fly him away from danger, he was horrified when Slifer abruptly turned, almost unseating him again, and then swept back towards the spot where Yugi had jumped. There the God dragon slowed and hovered, like a huge red mirage, before the three trembling, awe struck, terrified criminals.

Tattoo man had scrabbled back over the wall and had joined the other two, who were both too petrified to move.

Breaking out of their trance, the trio clambered as quickly as they could into their car, in the hope of escaping.

Before he knew what was happening, or had time to command the Sky Dragon not to hurt them, Yugi felt Slifer rear back slightly and opened one of his huge mouths.

In an instant, Slifer launched an attack. Like a Cobra spitting venom, a large fireball erupted from his jaws, slamming straight into the car and causing it to explode into a massive ball of flames. The petrol tank fuelled the fire, incinerating the three occupants within and sending a massive plume of toxic smoke into the air.

Slifer let out a triumphant screech and shot into the heavens at breakneck speed. His scales flattened against his body. Yugi was pinned underneath the scale he had been holding onto as it flattened out to assist aerodynamics, and he was sure that being squashed under the scale was the only thing preventing him from being ejected. The speed Slifer was flying at was incredible and Yugi could feel his chest and lungs pounding with the adrenaline.

::::::::::::

"Slifer the Sky Dragon..." Seto gasped, hearing a familiar battle cry he would never, ever forget. Yugi must have somehow summoned the God, just as he had when he appealed to Obelisk to help him defeat Aigami – screw the Pharaohs' claim that it was he who had sent Obelisk to save Seto from obliteration at the hands of that brat.

He sprinted back towards his Blue Eyes White Jet and almost bumped straight into the couple who's garden he had ruined when he landed his jet. They both looked terrified.

"What is that?" Fearing the world was about to end, the man pointed towards the heavens.

Seto turned and saw the long, serpent like body of Slifer coming towards them. Slifer was moving too fast and flying too high for them to see Yugi wedged behind his neck. Slifer then banked sharply and flew back the way he had come. Moments later they heard what sounded like a thunder bolt echoing in the distance. Seto instantly knew that the sound was Slifer attacking something, or someone.

He turned to the elderly couple. "That! Is a God," Seto told them, almost proudly.

Leaving them clinging to one another in a state of complete and utter shock and disbelief, he ran back to his jet. He was in too much of a hurry to bother going through his take-off safety checks properly and cursed as the on-board computer started to read them through for him. "Hurry up!" He snarled.

Programmed to respond to him, the computerised voice started to speak a bit faster.

But by the time he had taken off and flown up the valley in search of Slifer, all he found was the mangled, burning remains of what had previously been an Audi Q8 but was now unrecognisable.

He thought about investigating, but the area was densely wooded and there was nowhere safe for him to land. Plus, he could already see the flashing lights of the emergency service vehicles, several miles in the distance, racing towards where the explosion had been.

It suddenly occurred to him that his jet was equipped with weaponry that could easily destroy a vehicle, and the last thing he wanted was to fall under suspicion and then have to fill out all the paperwork in order to exonerate himself from any blame.

And in any case, there was not much else he could do here. Yugi Muto had his Sky Dragon and could take care of himself.

Engaging the thrusters, he shot into the sky, in the direction of the sun, hoping that its glare would shield him from the view of anyone on the ground.

Doubting that Siegfried was inside that burning vehicle, he banked sharply and headed towards the place he figured Siegfried would most likely be.

When Seto landed on the lawn of the Von Schroeder mansion, some sixty miles away, a security guard came rushing out, shouting that he could not land here.

Seto jumped out of the cockpit and shot the guard a glare. "I land where I like."

The moment the guard realised he was facing an enraged Seto Kaiba, he pulled his gun. Seto reacted quickly and kicked the gun from his hand, with enough force to break his wrist. "Where is Siegfried?"

Clutching his broken wrist, the man glared at Seto defensively. "You are not welcome here, Herr Kaiba." Seto bent down and picked up the man's gun.

"Relax, moron. I'm here on business. Now get out of my way before I break the rest of your bones." Snarling, the guard relented and let him pass.

It was only five in the morning, but Siegfried was up. In fact, he had been so stressed that he not even been to bed that night. Instead, he had been sitting in his morning room with a bottle of Scotch, waiting for news.

In front of him, the television was tuned to the twenty four hour news channel, but there was not a single mention of Yugi Muto's cyber attack on Kaiba Corporation.

Having polished off nearly half the bottle of Scotch Whiskey during the night, he was drunk and beyond caring that at any moment the police might come calling for him.

He had not heard from his hired henchmen either. He had expected them to contact him on the unregistered phone number he had given them, to say that the gift had been delivered and that they required the remainder of their fee.

Something must have happened.

Breaking news! Helicopter footage of a smouldering vehicle on the clifftop of a popular beauty spot appeared on screen. In his stupor, he could see two television screens and the reporter's words sounded muddled.

But the report was still very sobering. Freak weather was being blamed for a lightening bolt that had engulfed a car in flames. But people living in in the area were reporting being woken by inhuman screeching and had then heard an explosion.

The reporter was saying that people had been ringing the police to say they had seen big, red, flying serpent. However, so far, no photographic evidence had been offered. There were no clues yet as to the identity of the human remains found in the wreckage of the vehicle because they were burnt to almost nothing.

Another theory was that the military were testing a prototype fighter jet, as one had been seen flying along the Rhine Valley.

Guilt flooded through him. The burnt out car was only thirty five miles from Tony's house, which was far too coincidental. Why had he let his thirst for revenge lead him down this destructive path? He had not wanted people to get killed.

The sound of a jet landing on the lawn outside made him startle. He feared the worst, but was almost past caring.

He did not notice when his butler walked into the room and approached him.

"Excuse me Sir. But Seto Kaiba is here to see you." Siegfried did not say anything; a deep sense of despair hanging like a cloud over him. He should have guessed this would happen. He would rather face the police than the wrath of Seto Kaiba.

"Shall I let him in Sir?"

"Yes." A small but heavy nod of the head confirmed. He might as well face the music while he was still too drunk to care.

Standing menacingly in the doorway, Seto stared at the pathetic individual seated before him.

A small sneer crept across his face as he spotted the half empty whiskey bottle and glass, sitting on the polished table.

"You have some explaining to do.. Siegfried." Seto spoke his former business rival's name with disgust.

"I do not know what you are talking about Herr Kaiba," Siegfried tried to sound defiant but Seto could hear by his voice that he had no energy

"Don't give me that bullshit, Siegfried. You know exactly what I'm referring to."

Siegfried let out a long sigh. "I do not know what you wish me to say?" He paused for a moment. "Apart from, I do hope Yugi Mutou is unharmed."

Seto was seething. "You should have thought about that before you concocted your pathetic little plan. You have obviously learnt nothing from your previous attempt to damage my company. You never were, and you never will be a match for my superiority. You are finished Siegfried. I will make sure you rot in Hell." He raised his left arm and activated his duel disk.

Siegfried looked at him with glazed eyes and a confused expression. "You want to duel me?!" He let out a snort. "Don't you think I have suffered enough humiliation?" He was probably too drunk to be able to duel adequately anyway.

Seto smirked. "If you win, I will let you live. If you lose..."

"I am not dueling you Herr Kaiba. For me, there is no honour among duelists. I would rather take my chances in a court of law than suffer your idea of justice."

"Who said anything about it going to court? A Judge and jury can be bribed and I am sure you have friends in high places."

"I will not use my influences. It will be a fair trial." He sounded so melancholy, that for a moment Seto almost believed him.

"Such a shame I don't trust you not to go back on your word," he ground out, sarcastically. After what happened previously, he would not trust this snake as far as he could throw him. And the best way to deal with a snake, was to cut off its head.

Reluctantly, Siegfried pushed himself wearily and unsteadily to his feet. "Very well. But I must warn you, I have not dueled in a long time."

"Then I will beat you even quicker." Seto could not give a damn how long it had been since Siegfried had dueled, because he was confident that his dragons would defeat him in just a few turns anyway.

And he planned to hit him with their full force.

::::::::::::

Groaning, Yugi slowly became aware of himself. He could smell damp earth and dewy grass. He moved his hand and felt the cool, wet grass between his fingers.

Slowly, his eyes fluttered open, allowing the morning light to seep in. Realising he was laying on a grass verge, soaked with early morning dew, he shivered.

The last thing he remembered was falling, and then... When he lifted his head to look around, his head hurt and his neck creaked painfully. He was in a deep valley, surrounded by trees on one side and a cliff on the other. Had he fallen all that way and survived?

Slifer the Sky Dragon!

But hadn't Slifer been a dream?

He coughed and his ribs complained. He must have landed heavily, but at least he was not dead. Or was he dead and this was the afterlife?

He knew he should probably get up, but the cold, damp grass felt nice and his body was too numb for him to try and move. Maybe he should just stay where he was and feel the sun's rays on his back, as it climbed higher into the sky. It was still early, right?

It was actually a little after six thirty in the morning. A park ranger had just arrived at work to do a few chores before opening the gates to the country park for the day.

Parking his pick-up truck at the visitor centre, he gathered a few tools to fix the broken lock on one of the doors in the toilet block.

As he was walking along the path, he spotted a figure laying face down on the grass verge.

Worried, he made his way over. Don't say it was another suicide! This was the third one to throw themselves off the top of the cliff this year.

But as he approached, the man moved. How on earth anyone could survive that fall was beyond belief. He cleared his throat. "Excuse me! Are you okay?"

Yugi was suddenly aware of a shadow looming over him, shielding him from the sunlight. The person was talking in German. He had no idea what they were saying but tried to respond anyway, but it came out as a weak groan. He tried again."Where am I?" He instinctively spoke in his native Japanese.

A hand gently touched his shoulder. "Are you hurt? What is your name?" The person asked. First in German and then in hesitant English.

Yugi was able to understand what the man was saying in English and tried to push himself to sit. He felt stiff and cold, but otherwise okay. "Yugi... My name is Yugi Mutou."

The man repeated his name back to him. Yugi nodded. He tried to laugh but there was no humour in it. He felt broken, dizzy, cold and tired. His mind was barely functioning and he could hardly remember anything... except falling... and Slifer.

Desperate for some clarity, he ran his hands through his hair and clasped his aching head, flinching when he felt a painful lump where he had been hit with the hilt of the gun. It prompted fragments of his ordeal to come back to him and it made him shudder.

"You are cold?" To demonstrate what he meant, the man wrapped his arms around his own torso and shook himself as if shivering.

Yugi nodded.

"The office is warm. You want some coffee?" He gestured in the direction of the office, situated in the rear of the visitor centre.

Thanking him, Yugi tried to stagger to his feet, but he was feeling so weak he toppled and rolled onto his side.

The park ranger helped him up and steadied him as he steered him into the warm, dry office. "I'm Andre," the ranger informed him, in a friendly voice.

Once inside the office, Yugi sat down on one of the chairs. He was probably miles from Cologne. He was beaten, bruised, dirty and unshaven. He probably looked like a vagrant. And to make things worse, Andre must assume he had thrown himself off the cliff in an attempt to kill himself and was probably concerned for his mental health.

After managing to explain that he took milk but not sugar in his coffee, Andre handed him his beverage. Yugi cupped his hands around the warm mug and sipped at the brew.

"I will call a doctor." Concerned that he needed medical attention, Andre reached for the phone but Yugi quickly stopped him.

"No!" He shook his head and put his hand up. He did not want to involve anyone else. But he did need to contact Seto Kaiba, urgently. He also needed to let Anzu know he was okay and apologise for not calling her when he said he would.

He knew his phone was missing but patted his pockets for it anyway, just to confirm it was not there. Without it, he couldn't ring anyone because he was unable to remember any phone numbers or e-mail addresses. What a mess this had turned into. "Can I use your computer?" He asked, spotting a computer on the desk. "I have to contact someone important." Maybe he could search online for the telephone number for Kaiba Corporation, and then take it from there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.


	16. Safe At Last

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seto Kaiba deals with Siegfried while Yugi awaits rescue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter gave me a bit of a headache! But I'm done with keep changing it and it will have to do as is.

The number Yugi found online took him through to the main switchboard of Kaiba Corporation. When the receptionist answered, he introduced himself and asked to speak with Seto Kaiba.

He was not at all surprised when she told him that Mister Kaiba was unavailable, but was relieved when she explained that Mister Kaiba had told her to treat any call received from him as a top priority, and that she was to put him through to Mokuba.

Thanking her, he fidgeted anxiously while waiting to be connected. It was heart warming to think that Kaiba cared enough to be looking for him.

He almost jumped out of his skin at the noisy greeting he received. "Yugi!" Mokuba shouted his name with such surprise and happiness, while beside him, he could hear Jonouchi eagerly trying to snatch the phone.

"Hey! Lemme speak to buddy!" One hand was gripping Mokuba under the chin, while the other trying to pry the phone from Mokuba's fingers.

Not one to be intimidated, Mokuba punched him in the ribs with his free hand, causing the much stronger blonde to yelp.

On the other end, Yugi pulled a face at the scuffle going on. At this rate, they were likely to accidentally cut off his call! In any other situation he would probably laugh, but right now he felt humourless and their squabbling was counterproductive.

Suddenly, two excitable, out of breath from fighting, but obviously concerned for his well-being voices, were talking at him at once, but both were asking different questions; which in Yugi's fragile state was grating and making his head throb.

"Yug! Buddy!" His best friend was yelling over Mokuba. "Where ya been? Anzu's worried sick about ya, so am I."

Mokuba was not going to be out done. "Are you okay Yugi? Where are you? Seto is in Germany searching for you."

"Can you both stop talking at the same time... please?" Yugi sounded so weary and exasperated that the pair both went quiet for a moment. "Good! One question at a time. It's been a rough couple of days."

Realising how childish and idiotic they were being, Mokuba apologised. And feeling suitably chastised he put the phone on speaker.

"Me first!" Jonouchi bellowed. "We've been worried sick about ya man! What happened?" There was so much concern in his voice that Yugi felt his heart tighten in his chest – he hated worrying his friends.

"I'm okay. I don't have time to go into much detail right now, but a group of cyber terrorists kidnapped me and..." he began, but Mokuba was quick to allay his concerns.

"If you're referring to the virus Yugi, you don't need to worry. I have already found it!"

Yugi was relieved. "Thank God! I think Siegfried Von Schroeder created the virus himself, so I was worried it might do some real harm."

Again, Mokuba seemed to be one step ahead. "Don't worry, we already know about Siegfried. Seto plans to deal with him personally."

"Where are you Yugi?" Jonouchi interrupted. "Are they still holding you hostage?" He was keen to know if his friend was now safe.

"It's a long story, but thanks to a bit of help from Slifer, I managed to get away. But I'm kind of stuck in the middle of nowhere right now and need your help Mokuba."

"Slifer!" Jonouchi gasped, wanting to know more. "What happened? You ain't hurt are ya? Where are you buddy...?"

"I'm not hurt. But I'm a bit of a mess and lost my wallet so I need someone to need to explain where I am. I was hoping Kaiba would send someone to get me?"

Jonouchi turned to look at Mokuba expectantly and was astonished to see that the teenager had already traced where Yugi was ringing from, and had his location pinpointed on one of the computer screens. His mouth hung open. "How'd ya do that so quickly?"

Mokuba just shot him a smug grin. "I've already pinpointed you Yugi. Just sit tight and I will tell Seto where you are. He will come and get you. And we don't want to involve the authorities so don't talk to anyone, got that?"

"Don't worry. I won't talk to anyone." Luckily, the conversation he was having with Jonouchi and Mokuba was in Japanese so Andre had no idea what they were talking about.

Feeling relieved that this ordeal was almost over and that he would soon see his friends again, Yugi nodded for his own benefit and ran a hand through his matted, grimy hair. "There's just one more thing though. Does Anzu know I'm missing? Only, I've lost my phone and all my contacts. I was meant to call her and didn't, so she's probably annoyed with me and..." He rambled on until Jonouchi interjected.

"Yeah, she knows Yugi. She's worried sick about ya. She didn't know why you was ignoring her so she rang Kaiba. And ya know what he's like? I think he stressed her out by being an ass-wipe." He had not meant to upset Yugi by letting slip how worried Anzu was, but when Mokuba scowled at him (mostly because he had called his brother an ass-wipe), he quickly added "But she's okay!" In response, he heard a distressed groan from Yugi and it made him grimace.

"You and your big mouth!" Mokuba snapped at Jonouchi, before putting on a friendly, but concerned voice with which to address Yugi. "Would you like me to ring her and tell her you're safe Yugi?"

"No, it's okay Mokuba. But thanks for the offer. Can you give me her number? I really need to talk to her myself."

"Oh! Yeah.. I got her number right here!" Jonouchi perked up a bit as he pulled his phone from his pocket. At least he could do something right.

Hastily jotting down Anzu's number on a pad, Yugi thanked them both for their help and tried to dial Anzu's number.

But his hands were shaking so badly that he could not tap on the right digits.

Was it nerves, excitement? Or was he going into delayed shock.

::::::::::::

Harri had not known Anzu for long. But in the short time he had, he had quickly come to know her an outgoing young woman, with a bright, positive outlook and strong fighting spirit, who's energy and determination enthused those around her.

He had been attracted to her initially. But his hopes had soon been dashed when she told him she already had a boyfriend in Japan.

However, they had still become friends. She told him that she was comfortable around guys, and found it easy to laugh and joke with them because most of her best friends were male.

She had laughed when she explained that he reminded her of her friend Jonouchi, and had even teased him by saying that it was not a good thing to be like Jonouchi, as he could be a pain in the butt sometimes. But she did add that Jonouchi was strong and loyal. And although he could be a bit senseless sometimes, he had a soft, caring side.

Harri could identify with that, because he too had a caring side.

So, when Anzu suddenly looked devastated and ran out of rehearsals during break, he was very worried about her and followed her back to her apartment.

Still wishing Yugi would suddenly turn up unannounced, Anzu gasped when the doorbell rang.

Could it be?

Leaping up with what she knew deep-down was false hope, she ran to the intercom and pressed the button. "Yes?!"

Even though she knew that it was very unlikely that Yugi would reply, part of her was still pleading for him to be on the other end.

When Harri's voice came over the intercom, she felt her hopes evaporate again.

She wanted to tell him to go away and leave her alone, but could not bring herself to be so ungrateful. He was worried about her and wanted to help.

Pressing the button that would release the locking mechanism on the main door to the building, she sighed. She probably should not involve him in this.

Harri bounded up the stairs to her apartment. She let him in, and then slouched back to the sofa.

He had no idea what was wrong, but seeing such a strong woman reduced to such a tearful mess was heartbreaking.

Unfortunately, he had always found tearful girls a bit scary and wasn't sure what to do. "I erm... I'm a bit crap at this." He gave her a pitying, nervous smile. "Do you wanna talk to me? I'm all ears if you do?" A few days ago, she had been complaining to him about the difficulty of maintaining a long distance relationship, so he was half expecting her to tell him Yugi had broken up with her.

She laughed bitterly. "Thanks for coming to see how I am. It's Yugi..." Through her tears, she managed to tell him that Yugi was missing and that Seto Kaiba's men had found his phone on a river bank. She felt her nose running and sniffed.

He handed her a tissue.

She blew her nose into it like a trumpet and then wiped the snot from her face.

He was not at all fazed by her unladylike nose blowing, but he was pretty horrified by what she had just told him. Trying not to let it show, he handed her another tissue. "I'm sure he's okay. Why don't I make you a coffee, or something?"

"I don't need caffeine, it makes me all jittery," she whined. "Look at me? I'm already shaky enough." Her breath hitched. "What if..." She could not finish her sentence.

"Have they got any idea why he's missing?" He asked, softly.

"They think he's been kidnapped. But no one's asked for a ransom," she mumbled. "It's not like Kaiba would pay anyway."

"Do the police know? Shall I put the TV on? There might be something in the news." Whether that was a good suggestion, he was unsure.

Anzu's response was to laugh bitterly. "They won't know anything. Kaiba wants it kept out of the media and is dealing with it himself." She gave a very unattractive, angry snort. "If Yugi gets hurt because of him I will... Grrr." She thumped the arm of the chair, making Harri startle.

"Can he even do that?!"

Anzu shrugged. "He's Kaiba. He can do anything he wants." She jumped when her phone started ringing. Fearing the worst, she gasped and looked at it like it might explode. The number displayed was not one she recognised.

"Would you like me to get that..?" Harri gestured at the phone and she nodded.

::::::::::::

Despite his trembling hands, Yugi eventually managed to punch in the correct number. His heart was pounding as he waited for it to be answered. "Please..." he willed it not to go to voicemail.

He was thrown off track when a man answered.

Unsure what to say, Harri quickly blurted out the first thing that popped into his head. "Hello! Anzu Mazaki's phone!"

Standing in front of Anzu, holding the phone to his ear, he looked at her sitting on the sofa. The way she was trembling fearfully and hugging herself for comfort, was making him feel choked.

She was obviously fearing that the call was bringing bad news.

There was a pause while Yugi collected his thoughts. Having expected Anzu to answer, the first words that came out were in Japanese. "Who is this?"

On the other end of the line, Harri wondered if it was one of Anzu's friends from Japan. He hoped they were ringing with the news that Yugi had been found safe and sound. "I.. erm. Can you speak English?"

Twigging that the man could not speak Japanese, Yugi switched to English. "Is Anzu there?"

"Yeah... she is. Who is this?" Harri locked eyes with Anzu, who was now sitting upright on the sofa, listening with anticipation. However, she still had her arms tensed nervously together in against her chest, with her hands clenched against her chin.

Yugi felt offended by the man's question. Lack of sleep and the stress of everything he had just been through was making him cranky. His brain was struggling to catch up. "I should be asking you that!" He snapped irritably and raised his voice. "I want to talk to Anzu. Is she there?"

Harri instinctively flinched at being shouted at and pulled the phone away from his ear.

The phone's speaker was small, but it was still powerful enough that Anzu could hear who was on the other end. He sounded a bit rough and irate, but it was definitely... "Yugi?!" She shrieked, leaping up and snatching the phone away from a surprised Harri. "Oh My God! Is it really you...?" She sobbed out.

"Yeah, it's really me," said Yugi, feeling and sounding relieved but tired. He was not even aware that he was crying until Andre quietly passed him a tissue.

Nodding his head slightly in thanks, he took it and wiped the tear stained grime off his face.

"I'm sorry Anzu... Sorry if I had you worried..." he sniffed emotionally. "I.. I thought I would never see you again." His voice came out as a tearful squeak.

His bottom lip started trembling at his own statement.

He had tried to push the thought that, had it not been for Slifer, he really would be dead.

::::::::::::

Despite being in a slight stupor, and appearing to lack any enthusiasm, Siegfried was putting up a good fight. "I am not as easy to defeat as you assume, Herr Kaiba," he smirked, like a Siamese cat climbing majestically onto your lap before digging it's claws into your thigh.

His Valkyries were seriously beginning to annoy Seto.

"I haven't even started yet," Seto hissed back at him, like a serpent dragon poised to strike.

In truth, the hand he had drawn was not ideal. But he could bide his time until he drew the cards he needed. And with his own personal duel disk being the only duel disk that was manufactured with a switch enabling him to deactivate the safety, Siegfried was in for a nasty surprise when Seto did draw the card required to summon his Neo Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

But for the moment, He was the one down to 2100 life points, while his opponent had 2900.

"Really? Herr Kaiba, you are such a disappointment. I had heard rumours you had become a much stronger duelist since last we met. But I appear to have been mislead," Siegfried smirked, relishing the chance to have a dig at his enemy.

Seto merely snorted. The man facing him seemed to be getting some of his energy back and it was really getting on his nerves. But it would not be for much longer.

Just as Seto was about to draw his next card, the communicator on his lapel suddenly beeped and Mokuba's excitable voice came over loud and clear. {Seto! I've found Yugi. He's safe and well. I'm sending you his location. Also, I've removed the virus and corrected the code back to its original programming. Any luck dealing with Siegfried? Give him my regards when you send him to hell.}

Seto smirked. "No need to Mokuba. He heard you. Tell Yugi I'm on my way. I'm almost finished here."

He clicked off and turned his attention back to Siegfried. "I have more important matters to attend, so it's time to end this duel." He could cheat and shuffle his Polymerization to the top of his deck, but thanks to Yugi's influence, cheating no longer felt as satisfying as it once did.

He hated to rely on the Heart of the Cards, but sometimes there was no choice.

Closing his eyes, he drew his card and smiled. He knew exactly what he had drawn. "I fusion summon Neo Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon."

To begin with, Siegfried looked shocked; he had never seen this particular dragon before. But then he smiled. "You won't beat me that easily! You first have to defeat my Valkyrie and he gains 300 attack points for each of your dragons. And he has another trick up his sleeve..."

"Oh, please... spare me," Seto mocked.

Without offering any explanation about his dragon's special ability, he removed from play, two of the Blue Eyes White Dragons used as fusion material, to allow his Neo Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon to attack twice more.

And with the safety parameters on Seto's duel disk switched off, the attacks were devastating.

Hit with the full force of three times 4500 attack, his Valkyries were obliterated and his life points were thrown into negative figures.

Seto did not stick around to gloat, instead he powered off his duel disk, turned on his heel and marched out.

On the way out he passed the concerned butler, who had heard the explosions and was running towards the morning room in a panic.

"I think your boss needs urgent medical attention," was all Seto said to him, before marching outside and climbing into the cockpit of his jet.

The burst stream from Seto's dragons had completely destroyed the wall, and when the butler found Siegfried laying among the rubble, he was covered in cuts, bruises and burns. He was barely conscious, and what remained of his expensive designer clothing, was shredded and blackened.

::::::::::::

It took Seto no time at all to fly to where Yugi was waiting. Despite the surrounding forest, there was a decent sized car park and he was able to land easily.

Having recovered from his emotional phone call to Anzu, Yugi heard the jet landing and ran outside to meet him.

Andre followed him and stared in awe at the Blue Eyes Jet. He was not a fan of Duel Monsters and had no idea he was in the company of the game's two biggest celebrities. Even Seto Kaiba was not familiar to him! So to be faced with the spectacular sight of a tall, lanky but imposing man, wearing clothing that made him look like an intergalactic rock star, leaping from the cockpit of a state of the art fighter jet, his brain could not process what he was seeing. Was any if this even real?

He was shaken from his stupor by Yugi thanking him and offering him a handshake.

Yugi was so grateful to the man for his help and generosity. Had Yugi woken up in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but forest, with not a soul around to help him, he might have died from exposure, hunger and fatigue.

It was not lost on Yugi, how incredibly shaken and awed Andre was by the sight of Kaiba and his Blue Eyes Jet. Yugi knew that was exactly how Seto wanted to be perceived and it made him smile.

Seto strode over to where the two men were standing. "You look a mess Yugi," he stated.

"Thanks for your concern Kaiba," Yugi calmly replied. He knew Seto well enough to know that it was Seto's way of asking if he was okay. "I'm a bit shaken up but I've been through far worse," he smirked, casually. It was strange to think how facing so many dangerous, life threatening, world ending duels had left him far more resilient to the sort of stress he knew he should be feeling after what had just happened. Sure, he would most likely suffer the odd wobble over the next few days, but he would be fine – he always was.

With a final thank you wave to Andre, Yugi made his way towards the jet. "Do the police know what happened to me?" He asked, even though he could guess the answer, he still needed to hear it.

"What do you think? The police are incompetent and I needed to keep your little adventure out of the media, so I have dealt with the problem myself. What did you tell that man who found you?" Seto glared at him.

"Nothing!" Yugi stated with certainty. "He has no idea who I am. He thinks I tried to kill myself by jumping off the cliff, but has no idea how I survived the fall."

"You had better be right," Seto growled coldly.

Yugi snorted at the lack of warmth in Seto's voice and gave a wry smile, before climbing into the rear seat of the cockpit, and buckling up.

The flight back to Cologne was tame compared to he ride on the back of Slifer, but Yugi was still relieved when the jet landed and he was back on solid ground.

The cockpit canopy hissed as the locks released and the canopy slid open. Yugi waited until Seto gave the all clear and then climbed out.

Seto stepped down onto the tarmac beside him.

"Thanks for helping me Kaiba,"

"I don't need thanks Yugi. I did what I had to do in the interest of my company." A smirk crossed his features. "Plus your friends would have never let it go if I hadn't helped you." He shot Yugi a smug look. "Just don't go getting into any more trouble."

Yugi gave him a smug look of his own. "I will remember that next time you accidentally release a demon from another dimension and need my help."

Seto rolled his eyes at the comment. "Then we're even – for now. And before I forget; I also rescued these for you. Although, I think your phone has seen better days." He handed Yugi his broken phone and his laptop. When Yugi opened his mouth to say thank you, Seto interrupted him.

"No need Yugi. Just spare me the hassle of having to remind you, yet again, not to leave sensitive files where they can be easily found and hacked."

Feeling suitably chastised, Yugi scratched the back of his neck.

Seto pulled a brand new, top of the range, KC mobile phone from the inside pocket of his coat and handed it to Yugi.

This further added to Yugi's feeling of humiliation and embarrassment. "Th.. thanks!" He was not expecting this much generosity.

Kaiba was dismissive. "Save the grovelling. I have dozens of them."

With a brief nod and a grateful smile, Yugi placed the phone in his laptop bag. "Can I ask one more favour? I need a lift back to my hotel. I have a flight to New York tonight and I need to get cleaned up and pack my stuff."

Seto gave him an incredulous smirk. "Don't push your luck, Yugi." After a brief word with Isono, he turned and walked away, leaving Yugi, Isono and the rest of the staff standing there. He climbed back into the cockpit of his jet and took off.

Yugi watched the jet as it soared into the sky. He heard the sonic boom and it vanished.

He turned to the Kaiba Corporation security staff and smiled nicely. "Can anyone offer me a ride back to the hotel? Only, I lost my jacket and wallet somewhere along the way so I can't pay for a taxi." His jacket and wallet had actually been incinerated in the car.

Without his boss there to reprimand him, Isono took pity on Yugi and drove him back to the hotel.

Yugi grabbed his key-card from reception and scurried into the elevator, trying to avoid the strange looks he was getting from people in the lobby.

When he reached his room and looked in the mirror, he realised why they had been staring at him – there was three days worth of fuzz on his face, which was ingrained with dirt from the ground, giving his face a rather rustic look. His hair was matted and dirty with bits of twig and blood from the small cut on his ear, and his shirt was torn, smelly and dirty. He also had blood on his jeans where he had cut his hand and then wiped it on them. He had lost one shoe at some point as well – must have been when Slifer whisked him to safety. He also had a corker of a black eye.

Peeling off his grubby clothes, he discarded them in the corner by the rubbish bin, along with his one remaining shoe.

Standing in front of the mirror in just his boxers, which he had now worn for three days straight – no wonder the woman who had been in the hotel's elevator with him had scrunched her nose up at him – he looked at the bruises on his hip bone, arm's and legs. He felt pretty sore and wished he could just sink into a nice, deep, hot bath and stay there for the rest of the day, but since his hotel room only had a shower, a long hot shower would be the best he would get.

His mouth tasted like garbage too and he could not decide what was more urgent; brush teeth, shave or shower first.

In the end, he decided to rinse the dirt off his face in the sink first and have a wet shave, followed by a thorough clean of his teeth and then a nice hot shower.

Feeling much better afterwards, he wrapped himself in a towel and stood in the bathroom dripping wet. For a moment he zoned out as the horror of the last few days started to press down on him.

Shuddering, he snapped himself out of it and dried off.

Pulling on a clean pair of boxers, he sat down on the small round stool to dry his hair. For a long time, he just stared at his worn reflection, deep in thought about how he was going to make it up to Anzu when he got to New York, before brushing out his hair and running the hair-dryer over it.


	17. Lovers Reunited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi and Anzu are back together again but find themselves doing some soul searching.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Some hints of PTSD.

Yugi could not wait to leave Germany behind. It had been one of his dreams to design a game and showcase it at Gamescom, but his dream had turned into an utter nightmare. A nightmare that he had been forced to face on his own, without Atem or his friends there to back him up.

He did not know how he was supposed to feel. Sure, his game had been well received and had been nominated for a prestigious award, but he felt strangely numb and detached from it.

He was even starting to wish he had never bothered coming here at all!

He would have been far better off going to New York instead, to celebrate Anzu's birthday with her.

His game would still be a success, with or without Germany.

But he had put so much effort into preparing for the Gamescom weekend, and had been looking forward to it since he first announced his intentions to his friends back at high school.

Four years of working and studying hard to gain qualifications in software development and computer graphics, and those bastards had tried to destroy it all by kidnapping him and forcing him to sabotage his own work in a vague effort to disrupt Kaiba Corporation.

In the end they had failed and were now dead. He wanted to feel bad for them – no one deserved to die like that – but he could not find it in himself to feel sorry for Slifer's actions. The God was only doing what he felt was rightful justice – just as Atem had when Yugi had first released him from the Puzzle and he had misinterpreted Yugi's darker thoughts of revenge and acted on them.

He still had no idea what Siegfried's punishment might be, but doubted Kaiba would let him off lightly.

Uncharacteristically, Yugi felt little sympathy for whatever punishment Seto decided to dish out to the effeminate German.

Was it wrong to not lament the death of your enemy?

Not liking his dark thoughts, Yugi was relieved when the car to take him to the airport arrived.

The driver was over the moon to meet him. Apparently, he was a huge fan of Duel Monsters and Yugi was the greatest player the world had ever seen.

Yugi did his best to be polite and friendly, but it felt forced. If only the taxi driver knew of all the violence, suffering and pain the great King of Games had to cause and endure to get to where he was today!

Yugi gazed out of the car window feeling sorry for himself and almost let out a string of expletives - maybe it was a good job that being bullied as a teenager had taught him how to keep quiet.

At check in, he was pleasantly surprised to find out that Seto Kaiba had arranged a replacement credit card and some cash for him, and had upgraded his seat to first class. A small luxury that would be gratefully received by his battered, aching body.

As soon as he was comfortably in his seat, he finally started to give in to the exhaustion he was feeling. He barely kept his eyes open long enough for the safety briefing and take-off, before sleep overcame him.

Unfortunately, his dreams were far from pleasant and he found himself back in that room, surrounded by Tattoo, Cruel Eyes and Davina. They were threatening him with fists, guns and a knife. This time he held fast and refused to hack into his own code to implant the virus. But it was not Yugi being threatened. This time, Yami Yugi was in the chair; defiant and cocky, while Yugi was hovering at his shoulder, watching like a coward.

This time, they put the gun to his head and pulled the trigger.

Yugi awoke with a start, to see the air stewardess leaning over him. "Are you alright Sir?" She looked very concerned for his well being.

He rubbed his eyes and blinked up at her in confusion. "Huh?"

"..Only, you called out."

Oh Ra! What did he say? He was not sure he wanted to find out. "Did I?"

She bit her lip and frowned. "Yes. You seemed distressed. You shouted "No! Don't shoot!""

Yugi squirmed and wanted his seat to swallow him. "I..." the word hung on his tongue for what seemed like an age before he came up with an explanation that sounded credible. "I was dreaming that I was watching a close friend fight a tough duel... card game, that is."

"Oh!" She looked confused. "Would you like some refreshments?"

Yugi nodded. "Water, please? And can you get me something to wipe my hands? They're a bit sticky."

As soon as she left to fetch his items, he closed his eyes and growled internally. Was that still how he viewed himself? After all these years, he was still wishing Atem could be here to deal with all the shit he managed to get himself into? And to make things worse, his nightmare self even let Atem take the bullet for him.

When she returned with his water and one of those small hot towels they usually handed out towards the end of the flight for you to freshen up with, he thanked her.

He waited until she left to tend a passenger just across from him and then gulped down his water. He then unwrapped the towel and placed it over his face like a mask, so that no one could see his tears.

::::::::::::

Anzu took the busy subway to the airport. Yugi's flight would be arriving soon and she wanted to meet him.

In the last forty eight hours, her world had gone from being up in the clouds with the success that seemed to be coming both her way and Yugi's way, to crashing down to earth and then falling into the basement with a big bump!

If losing Atem had been painful, the thought of losing Yugi as well was just too much to bear.

In the past, they had been through many dangerous challenges on the way to helping Atem gain his memories and find his peace. Apart from Ryo, they had come through all of those challenges relatively unscathed.

She had thought, rightly or wrongly, that at this stage in her life, concentrating on her career as a dancer was the most important thing in the world to her. Relationships and marriage could wait. Yugi could wait – just as he always did.

But Yugi's kidnapping had really shaken her up.

How blinkered she had been.

How wrong her priorities were.

How had she not known that love and companionship was the most important thing a person could possibly have? She of all people should know that, because she had preached it often enough.

She looked at the back of her hand again. The ink from the smiley face had faded many years ago and was now just a distant memory.

When did she lose sight of how important her friends were?

She had all but ignored them since she had been in New York. She had thrown herself into her dance studies and become closer to the new friends she had made, allowing herself to drift away from her old ones.

Only Yugi had remained a constant in her life: they had kept in touch and he had found the time in his busy schedule of work and study to come and visit her, twice. But she had not made any effort to even meet him halfway. He was the one putting all the energy into their friendship, in the hope that they could make their relationship work.

But from now on that was going to change. From now on she would stop trying to be the strong, independent single woman, who did not need a man to look after her.

She knew that he wanted so badly to be the man who could provide and care for her, but she had held him at bay with her feminist principles.

Was there really anything wrong with being looked after and cared for?

It was a rhetorical question and one she already knew the answer to: No! There was nothing wrong with being cared for. It did not mean she had failed in her goals. It merely confirmed that she had forgotten that you needed your friends to help you succeed.

She was not about to give up her golden career opportunity – Yugi would be annoyed with her if she did that – but she did not need to base herself in New York to be a successful dancer.

Once the show they were rehearsing for came to the end of its six week run, she would hand in her notice and go home to Japan, join a dance company there and be with Yugi.

She would let him take care of her while she built up her dance school business. They could succeed together and support one another as a married couple. The name Mutou, might even help her career!

No! That was a terrible thing to assume. She should not use his name and fame to get to herself noticed. Although... Mrs Anzu Mutou did sound kind of nice.

She mentally slapped herself for going all soppy – she was getting ahead of herself.

Stepping into the airport terminal, she checked the arrivals board and was glad to see that Yugi's flight was still on time and would be landing any moment now.

She could not wait to hold him and kiss him. It had been far too long already since they had last been together and she wanted to get him back to her apartment and show him how much she loved him.

She hoped he was not too jet lagged to make love; maybe she would let him lie there while she... Her face was suddenly burning with embarrassment – was she really having thoughts like that in a crowded airport terminal?!

She glanced around herself but no one was even paying her the slightest bit of attention.

Hoping that Yugi would be able to spot her easily, she found a space among the crowd of people, who were also waiting for loved ones to arrive.

::::::::::::

By the time his flight landed, Yugi had pulled himself together and was feeling less stressed. He would do as he always did when someone hurt him, and put it behind him and just get on with his life. And anyway, the thought of seeing Anzu was more than enough to cheer him up.

Clearing immigration, he waited for his bag and then proceeded through customs to the arrivals hall.

Looking all around him, he spotted Anzu waving at him. He gave her a grin and a wave and fought his way through the throng of people to reach her. She immediately launched herself at him.

Letting go of his bag, he gathered her in his arms and they hugged so tightly they thought they might crush one another.

"Oh.. Yugi..." She was almost crying as she muttered into his neck.

"Hey!" He chuckled. "I'm okay! How about we get out of here before the paparazzi spot us?"

"Let them. I want the whole world to know that I love you," she replied, stepping back a little to gaze into his tired eyes.

His tired eyes lit up a little at her words. It appeared there was hope for their relationship after all.

She could not help but notice his black eye and gently stroked her hand over the side of his face.

"It's nothing," he said, seeing the concern in her gaze. "It doesn't really hurt much."

"Come on. Let's get going." She kissed his mouth gently and then grabbed his hand, leading him towards the subway.

By the time they made it back to her apartment, they could barely keep their hands off one another.

Once inside, Yugi dropped his suitcase on the floor and reached for her hand. They really should sit and talk, but right now he had no words to describe how he was feeling as he reached for her.

In response, Anzu threw her arms around him. As far as she was concerned, talking could wait. In the heat of the moment, actions would speak more volumes than words could ever say, and the only word she could muster as he kissed her, open mouthed and desperate, was.. "Bedroom?"

This time, there was no one else in the apartment to spoil their intimacy. And, despite the fatigue he was feeling from travelling, Yugi filled her with his love, twice!

Too exhausted to go a third round, they curled up in each other's arms and snuggled under the covers.

"Hmm, that was nice," Anzu purred, nestling her head against his chest and letting her fingertips dance little patterns along his side. It tickled, making him shiver slightly.

Tracing his fingertips up and down her arm, he chuckled. "Only nice?" He teased. For the first time in a several days, he felt at ease and all thoughts of his kidnap were forgotten.

She poked him in the side lightly, making him jump slightly.

He let out a little squeak. "What was that for?"

"Okay then!" She giggled. "If I was to rate it on a scale of one to ten: I rate it an eleven."

He lifted his head to give her a disbelieving pout. "Only eleven?! Now you've hurt my feelings."

She gave him a teasing nip on the left nipple. "I set high targets." Moving slightly, she leaned over him with her arms folded over his chest and kissed him gently. "I'm going to take a shower. Then, how about I treat you to a burger?"

Feeling his tummy growl hungrily at the suggestion, he nodded. But he could also do with a shower. "Is there room in the shower for two?"

"As long as you behave yourself. I'm all loved out after this afternoon. Any more and I will be walking bandy legged."

"Anzu!" He gasped, in mock horror at her crudeness, to which she smirked.

"Since living here, I learned that girls can be just as gross as guys," she laughed, teasing his lips by brushing her lips against his.

He move his hand behind her head so that she could not escape and kissed her properly.

Humming in satisfaction, he let her go so that they could both sit up. "If you promise not to be too gross, then I promise to behave." A cheeky grin appeared on his face. "But, maybe you won't be able to resist my awesomeness," he winked.

"You're a naughty boy Yugi." She pouted at him. "How about a compromise? We shampoo each other's hair?"

"It's a deal. Will you dry my hair for me as well?" When they were kids and she first asked if she could style his hair, he had been irritable about it being flattened and pulled. But as they grew older, he had secretly started to enjoy the attention she was giving him. The sensation of her brushing her fingers over his scalp as she tried to style his hair was nice. His tricoloured spikes had held a fascination for her, but try as she might, she could never get it to do anything other than stick out in all directions.

"Of course," she agreed, with a smile.

::::::::::::

Neither wanted to venture too far, so they chose a restaurant that served burgers, as well as other meals, that was just a block away from Anzu's apartment.

It was not too busy and they chose a seat that was tucked away in the corner, where they could talk candidly.

"My treat," Yugi told her as they ordered.

"The portions here are huge. So I suggest we order one cheeseburger and chips to share, plus a salad starter."

He was actually starving and looked at her doubtfully, but went along with her suggestion – she lived here and was often telling him that food portions in many places were supersize, and that she had to be careful what she ate.

She was not wrong! The salad alone was massive, with mixed leaves, tomato, cucumber, crispy bacon, walnuts and crutons. It also came with a choice of calorific dressings, which Anzu declined.

The burger was probably the biggest Yugi had ever seen, and came with a huge portion of fries – definitely enough for the two of them. They shared out the chips and Anzu took about a third of the burger, leaving the larger portion to Yugi.

Nibbling on her food, Anzu smiled at the way he tucked in. Poor guy must be starving!

He looked up at her watching him and blushed. "Sorry! Hungry!" He mumbled around his mouthful.

The sight of him eating made her smile. It reminded her of all the times she would tell the boys off – especially Jonouchi – for eating too fast. She missed those days. "I'm feeling nostalgic," she told him suddenly.

He quickly swallowed his food and gave her a questioning look. "Nostalgic?"

"Yeah... I love living here, but I have let my ambitions get in the way of what's important to me. I think it's time I went home," she said, reflectively.

Yugi looked horrified. "What about your dream job?!"

Anzu took a sip of her wine. "I don't mean right away. I was thinking after the show finishes its six week run."

"Are you sure? You worked so hard for this. You can't just throw it away for me. I won't let you," he frowned, looking serious.

"I don't need to live in New York to be a dancer. I can dance anywhere," she shrugged. "But what has happened with Sally's mum, and what just happened to you, has kinda made me think about my home and my family and my friends. I don't want to be away from you all."

"Sally's mum?!" He sounded a little alarmed.

Realising she had not told him about Sally leaving, she explained the events that had lead to Sallyg going home.

Yugi listened, frowning with concern. "You should have told me you were struggling on your own." He was actually a little annoyed at her for keeping it quiet but did not let it show. "You know I would have helped out?"

"I know you would. That's why I didn't say anything. But this job with the New York Ballet is my final roll of the dice. If it doesn't work out, then I'm going home."

Are you sure?" Yugi finished the last bite of his burger and looked thoughtful as he chewed.

"Yes, I'm sure. I haven't told you about the ballet I will be performing in, have I?" He shook his head.

"You said it's called Manon, but I feel bad for not asking you what it's about. Have you got a decent part?"

"Not a big part. Just a supporting dancer. But if I impress, I'm hoping they will give me a bigger role." Anzu smiled hopefully and touched his hand. "The irony is, I can really relate to Manon."

"In what way?" He responded by taking her hand in his and squeezing it reassuringly. He had never heard of Manon and had no idea what it was about.

Anzu explained. "Well, like me, she is a young woman who is forced to choose between true love and her dreams. But sadly, it leads to tragedy. And when you went missing I thought that it was our tragedy.."

"Hey! Stop thinking like that! Me getting kidnapped was not your fault, okay?"

She pouted at him and nodded.

He smiled at her softly. "You're the most amazing dancer ever and I know they will be impressed," he stated proudly.

Anzu gave a rather hollow laugh. "Thanks Yugi, but you're biased. I'm still an apprentice. You should see the lead dancers they have. They are so incredible in their movement; the height they gain on their jumps is awe inspiring." Her eyes shone with wonderment as she spoke and Yugi knew that whatever happened, he could not let her pack it all in and go home.

"You will be that good too."

"Yes! I think I can be," she agreed. "I just have to keep working hard."

"Then you can't come home Anzu." His eyes bored into hers with such intensity that she was reminded of how small she used to feel when Atem looked at her that way. He squeezed her hand. "Forget what happened to me in Germany. You have to stay here. You have to remember your dreams and work your way up to be lead dancer. I will give you all the support you need to concentrate on dancing full time to achieve that."

"I don't really want to be a burden on you," she blinked at him sheepishly. "but.. apprentice dancers don't get paid much so I can't afford to give up my waitressing job just yet. When Sally was here we could just about get by, but now she's gone home I either need to get another lodger, get somewhere cheaper, or go home."

Again, she was missing the most obvious option. "Then let me pay your rent?" Said Yugi, assertively.

She went to argue but he shook his head. "You know I can be stubborn when I want. So I won't take no for an answer. I care about you and there's no way I'm gonna let you struggle financially."

Anzu started to make excuses. "It's only for another six months, until I come home. I'm sure I can get by."

"That's the point. I don't want you to just 'get by'. I will pay your rent, then you won't have to worry. You can concentrate on becoming as good as those other top dancers you mentioned."

"Okay. But it's a two room apartment, so I will still need to get a new flat mate. In fact, one of the other dancers has already asked if its available."

Yugi perked up. "That's great! She can pay her half of the rent and I will pay your half."

"He." Anzu corrected quickly, adding "..It's a guy." Her fears were confirmed when she saw his jaw tense at the idea her new flat mate would be male. This was why she had been reluctant about agreeing to let Harri move in and made excuses about the possibility of Sally returning.

Yugi saw the anxious look on her face while she awaited his reaction. He did not want her to think he was against her sharing the flat with a guy, but he was having trouble concealing his apprehension. "But he's a dancer, so he doesn't like girls, right?" He felt like an idiot the moment he said it.

Anzu rolled her eyes at him. "Not all male dancers are gay Yugi! And I'm shocked that you're even considering I might be interested in him in that way. He's a work colleague and friend. Platonic friend."

Yugi felt ashamed that she would even think he might be thinking she could cheat with this guy. But he felt that he had a right to know who this guy was for Anzu's safety and his own peace of mind. "I'm sorry if I'm being over protective, but I don't know him. Do you even know him that well? I mean, what if he's not safe and tries something?"

Anzu rolled her eyes. "I do like to think I'm a good judge of character Yugi! And you can trust that there's nothing between us. He's too much like Jonouchi for anything like that to happen!" She chuckled lightly. "Anyway, he knows about you, and he was very supportive when you went missing. I will only offer him the room if you are okay with it."

Yugi shrugged one shoulder petulantly. "Yeah, go ahead. I don't mind. If he's helping with the rent that's good."

"And you're not jealous?" She implored. "Because if you're at all worried, I will say no. But I did kind of think having Harri living with me would kind of give me more security. He's a decent guy. You will like him. And he can't wait to meet you. Maybe I can invite him round after rehearsal tomorrow and we can sort out the rental agreement"

Yugi forced a happy grin. "Sounds great," he scratched the back of his neck. "I hope he likes games?"

"Don't all boys!" She tutted. "Shall we pay the bill now?" She stifled a yawn. "I think I need an early night."

He thought that he should probably be feeling tired too, but for some reason, he was waking up since eating his meal. The time difference must be paying havoc with his body clock.

"Sure," he smiled, pulling out his new wallet.

He signalled for the waiter and handed the young woman his replacement credit card. It suddenly occurred to him that he should be very grateful to Kaiba for that little gesture of kindness. If Kaiba had not given him a new phone, a new credit card and some cash, he would have been in a bit of a fix.

Kaiba could often be a standoffish jerk, but he had really shown himself to be a good friend this time.


	18. Engagement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi is avoiding talking to Anzu about his kidnapping, but a nightmare forces him to open up.   
> He also meets Harri for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is slightly longer than usual as I wanted to get everything in before the final epilogue chapter.  
> Thank you to everyone who has been reading and also to those who have taken the time to review. Hope you all enjoy this chapter.  
> Warnings: Stress induced nightmare and also some romantic innuendo.

Back at the apartment, Yugi and Anzu cuddled up on the sofa together, and Anzu watched as Yugi cleared level after level of a game that she and Sally had struggled with for months.

She chuckled. "It took me and Sally weeks to get to the castle and then that stupid ogre kept killing us. But you took the ogre out in one hit Yugi! How'd you do it?"

He grinned at her and winked. "Ah, ha.." He tapped his nose. "It's a secret." He hoisted a rope over the high castle walls and his character skilfully swung onto the castle battlements and ran along the top of the wall.

In response to him sidestepping her request, she nudged him and started tickling him, causing his gallant knight to fall from the top of the turret into the moat of molten lava. "Hey!" He complained.

Saving his progress, he quit the game and yawned. "Think I've had enough for one night anyway."

Anzu wrapped her arms around his torso and continued to tickle him. "Come on mister! Spill. I'm not going to stop until you tell me how you beat the ogre," she teased.

"Okay! Okay!" He laughed, grabbing her wrists in an attempt to stop her from tickling him. "It's simple. You have to collect all your weapons first. I'm guessing you probably missed the hidden den in the forest?"

She shrugged. "What den?"

"Well," he continued. "Without the magic shield, sword and healing potion, you can't beat the ogre."

Anzu pouted. When had he even found a hidden den? She had totally missed it. "Stupid game anyway," she pouted. "I'm going to bed. You coming?"

"Yeah," he nodded. He was looking forward to spending a night sleeping beside her. In all the time he had known her, he could probably count the nights they had spent sleeping in the same bed as a couple, on the fingers of one hand!

As he waited for Anzu to use the bathroom, his mind inadvertently drifted back to the last few days.

Spending time with her had been helping him get over the horrible experience of his kidnapping. But being left alone with his own thoughts for a few moments, brought it back to the surface. And it was during moments like these that he missed having Atem to share his thoughts with.

He had not talked to Anzu about his kidnapping yet, as he had not felt ready. And she had not pushed him to talk either, for which he was grateful.

But he knew that she sensed he was internalising his problems, and was pretending that nothing bad had happened to him. She would coax it out of him soon enough though. She understood him way better than most and was usually good at getting him to open up too her.

He decided to sleep on it and then tell her everything that had happened over breakfast.

Before settling down to sleep, they both took one last look at their phones.

Kaiba had transferred all of Yugi's accounts and contacts onto his new phone, and he had also enabled him to keep the same phone number so that his family and friends would not have a problem contacting him.

But unaware of the ordeal Yugi had been through, his grandfather had been messaging him as though nothing had happened.

He scrolled through the photos his grandfather had sent from California. It appeared the preparations for the trip to Egypt were going well and Grandpa's message was cheerful. He said that Arthur and Rebecca sent him their regards, and that they were all keen to know how he got on at Gamescom. He also teased Yugi about Rebecca growing into a pretty young woman.

Yugi's jaw trembled and he felt a bitter taste under his tongue as he thought about what to tell them. Leaving out any mention of his kidnapping, he typed his reply. As far as Grandpa was concerned the weekend had been a success.

He didn't take the bait regarding Rebecca and just said to tell her and Arthur. "Hi!"

However, Rebecca had sent him a message of her own, with love hearts and kisses at the end, asking him about Gamescom and saying how she wished she could have gone with him.

He felt himself blush at the cheeky comment about how she would make his weekend more pleasurable. The girl just never took 'no' for an answer! She would be mortified if she knew his weekend had turned into a nightmare. But she could never know.

He replied, telling her it was great; his game went down a storm and he was now in New York with Anzu. He was tempted to say that he planned to propose to Anzu, but could not be that cruel. Even though she had no right to be envious, Rebecca was jealous of their relationship and always made her opinions known. She would most likely send back a rant, and he really couldn't be dealing with that right now.

He always kept his communications with Becca polite. On several occasions, he had tried to tell her that he only saw her as a friend but she never listened.

Jonouchi referred to Rebecca as his obsessive stalker.

Even though Anzu was not looking at him and had her face buried in her own phone, he still tilted his phone away so that she could not see who he was messaging. Anzu could be just as jealous as Rebecca when she wanted.

Snorting, he turned off his phone and placed it on the night stand next to his side of the bed. He then lay down on his back to stare at the ceiling. The idea of girls fighting over him was something he never imagined would happen. Not in a million years! It both surprised and enthralled him.

"That's interesting!" Anzu suddenly exclaimed, tilting her head to look at him. "It says here that Siegfried Von Schroeder is in a serious condition in hospital after a gas explosion at his eighteenth century country manor. Don't you think that's a bit odd?"

Yugi chewed his lip. "Yeah, it is," he said, thoughtfully. It was the first he had heard anything of Siegfried since being kidnapped. But Yugi was pretty certain it wasn't a gas explosion that put Siegfried in the hospital. "And there's no mention of Kaiba?"

Anzu shook her head. "Nothing. Do you think Kaiba might be responsible?"

Yugi had not spoken to Kaiba since being dropped off in Cologne. Kaiba had not said anything, but he was pretty certain that they must have dueled. If Kaiba had turned off the safety settings on his duel disk, then that would be enough to cause such extensive damage. "Almost certainly," he answered, tentatively.

"Are you okay Yugi? You look a bit shaken." She reached across to to rub his arm.

"I'm okay." He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she snuggled close so that they could both look at her phone.

"Is there anything about me?" He wondered out loud.

"Nothing much. All it says, is that the King of Games' appearance at the convention was a treat for fans, eager to meet their hero. It also says that your game is getting an award. Oh! It does mention that Seto Kaiba made a brief appearance by doing a fly past in his unique Blue Eyes Jet! Talk about media manipulation! How the heck can he keep something of this magnitude out of the news? Someone must suspect something!" She felt Yugi shudder slightly as he took a shaky breath. She wished he would open up and talk to her, but he had hardly said anything about what had happened to him during the time he was missing.

She did not want to put any pressure on him just yet because she hoped he would talk to her voluntarily. But as usual, he was keeping his pain deep inside his heart and had put his defensive barriers in place. If he could not open up to her, what would that mean for their relationship in the future?

"No one except Kaiba's staff knew I was even missing," he said, rather dismissively. "So I guess it's easy for Kaiba to hush it up. If and when Siegfried recovers, there's no way he will want to talk. And the three thugs that kidnapped me are all dead." Underneath the casual restraint, there was a hint of pain in his voice that caused Anzu concern.

"Yugi..?" She enquired gently. "Do you want to talk to me?"

He shook his head. "Not now. I'm too tired. Can we just sleep on it? I will tell you in the morning." He winked at her and grinned, but it looked forced and Anzu could see he was hiding his emotions.

"Okay!" She sighed. "But I know you, and I know you are hurting inside. So I'm not letting you out of my sight until I know that you are feeling better. Okay?"

He gave her a guilty little look. The way she could read him like a book could be irritating sometimes. "Night!" He leaned in and kissed her.

Sighing sadly, she turned off her phone and then reached over to switch off the bedside lamp, rolling her eyes in disappointment as soon as she was looking away from him.

::::::::::::

In the warm comfort of Anzu's bed, Yugi had little trouble getting to sleep.

But at some point, he began having a similar nightmare to the one he'd had on the aeroplane. Only this time Atem gave him a pitiful, angry look and snarled through gritted teeth at him. "Yugi... You cowardly bastard."

This time, just as the gun went off, the dream switched to the clifftop. Slifer was hovering in the stormy sky and was opening his second mouth, preparing to strike. Yugi found himself hanging in the air, observing the scene as as it unfolded. He saw with horror, that among the three terrified faces screaming inside the vehicle as it was incinerated, was his own.

When he averted his horrified gaze, Slifer was screeching triumphantly, and standing on top of his head was the majestic figure of Atem, in full Pharaohic attire; his cape billowing out behind him.

In the next moment, Yugi was no longer hanging in mid air, watching the scene, but was inside the vehicle, feeling the devastating heat of the flames engulfing him.

Sitting bolt upright, he screamed. "No!" Realising that he had been dreaming and that it was not real, he cupped his throbbing head in his hands and let out a shaky breath. What a horrible nightmare.

The bed underneath him was damp with his sweat and his pyjama top was soaked with it, while golden strands of hair were sticking to his clammy face.

Remembering he was not alone in the bed, he glanced down at the woman sleeping beside him. He was thankful when he saw that she still appeared to be asleep.

Feeling a bit disgusting and clammy in his damp pyjamas, he dragged his heavy limbs out of bed and shuffled to the bathroom. Once there, he took off his pyjama top and splashed his face and neck with cool water.

Anzu was right, he probably did need to talk. He did not think he had ever suffered quite such severe post traumatic stress before. But if that was what this was he should probably deal with it.

But he could deal with it himself, right? Just like he always had when he was being bullied at school.

Anzu had only half been aware of someone shouting, but imagined that she was dreaming and did not really stir from her slumber. But the sensation of Yugi getting out of bed did rouse her slightly. She thought nothing of it at first, but when she inadvertently rolled over onto his side of the bed and found it was soaked with his sweat, she recoiled and woke up a bit more fully.

She had never known him to get sweaty in bed before and found it strange. She hoped he wasn't getting sick. One could easily pick up some nasty bugs on planes, and the last thing she needed now was a viral infection laying her low for her forthcoming rehearsals.

When Yugi came tiptoeing back into the bedroom, completely naked, to find her sitting up in bed with the lamp on, he faltered slightly and scratched the back of his head sheepishly. "Sorry! I didn't mean to wake you." He held his damp pyjamas in front of himself, to hide his modesty. "I got a bit sweaty." He went over to his suitcase and dropped the soaked pyjamas next to it.

Unfortunately, he did not have a spare pair, so he pulled out some fresh boxers to wear instead. They were his last pair and he would need to ask Anzu if she could do his washing for him tomorrow. He should have packed more stuff!

"Are you okay? You're not sick are you Yugi?"

"No!" He snapped, a little too defensively. "Why do you think that?" He pulled on his boxers and stomped back over to the bed. His pillow was wet and starting to feel cold; as was the sheet. It was not very inviting but he did not want her to think there was anything wrong, so he lay back down, facing away from her.

Anzu sighed. Yugi was never grumpy and defensive unless there was something he was hiding. "Yugi!" She groaned. "You can't sleep in a damp bed in just your boxers! Let me change the sheets?"

He rolled over and glared at her. "You don't have to. I'm fine."

She tutted loudly. "If you've got a chill, it will make it worse. And if it's something you caught on the plane, I don't want it."

"I haven't caught anything!" He retorted. "But if you don't want my germs then I'll sleep on the sofa." He made to get out of bed but she grabbed his arm.

"No! Yugi! I don't want you to do that. Please? Let me change the sheet and pillowcase, and perhaps we can talk."

"Talk?! There's nothing to talk about." The defensive tone in his voice gave him away and Anzu knew he was upset. She would wheedle his troubles out of him in the end.

"If you're sure you're okay?" She tossed his pillow at him. "Here! You can sort out the pillow while I strip the sheets." He caught it and scowled as if he might protest, but then got on with the task of changing the pillowcase.

They finished changing the bed in silence. He still seemed slightly agitated and Anzu wanted to quiz him about why he was like it. But it was three in the morning and they were both tired. Hopefully, it would be easier to get him talking in the morning.

Ignoring each other, they snuggled back down. He had not expected her to change the bedding just for him but it was nice to have a fresh, dry bed to sleep in.

It was not long before he was starting to feel guilty for sweating on her sheets and snapping at her.

Turning over, he gazed at the back of her head for a quite a long time, before deftly reaching out to touch her shoulder with his fingertips. "Thank you," he muttered, leaning in to kiss the juncture of her shoulder and neck.

Unable to get back to sleep, she rolled over and looked into his eyes. Even in the dark, they sparkled. But the gentle warmth and kindness, with just a hint of mischief, that she usually saw in them, was tainted by a slightly haunted look that gave away his pain. "What for?" She replied, softly.

"For being here for me." He kissed her playfully on the nose and smiled. "But stop worrying about me. You know I always bounce back."

"I know you do Yugi. But you always put other people's feelings before your own and sometimes that's not a good idea. Your feelings are just as important and I don't want my future husband falling apart because he's struggling to deal with problems he thinks he should keep to himself."

He only heard two words, the rest fell on deaf ears. "Future husband! Do you really mean that?"

"Of course I do. But unless you're gonna talk to me about whatever it was that was bad enough to make you wake up in a sweat, let me get back to sleep." She closed her eyes.

Chewing on his bottom lip, he looked at her for a moment before making up his mind. "It was a bad dream." She opened her eyes again and he could see them glistening in the dark with the tears she was trying to hold back. Her eyes were so full of concern that it made his heart skip a beat. "A very bad one," he added, recounting what he had dreamt on the flight and then the dream from tonight.

Anzu listened with a sad expression and stroked his arm reassuringly as he spoke. "It's just a dream Yugi," she said, once he had finished telling her about it. "You know Atem never thought you were cowardly?"

"Yeah, I know. It's just how I used to see myself." He bit his lip. "..Still do if I'm honest."

"Yugi! You're one of the bravest people I've ever known! That's why the Millennium Puzzle chose you. You should never doubt yourself."

"I don't.. well! Sometimes.. I guess we all have doubts sometimes. But I was only ever able to be brave because I knew I could rely on Atem to protect me."

"I think we all relied on him to protect us Yugi. But looking back, I don't think he could have been strong if it wasn't for you. I think he relied on you to give him the strength he needed to keep fighting."

He shrugged. "Deep down, I know that." He gave her a small smile. "We made a pretty good team and it got us through all the dangerous stuff we had to face. But, the kidnapping. I had to face it on my own and I was really scared. Like, even more scared than when I faced Yami Bakura and Zorc. Even more scared than facing the Aigami monster when he fused with the Ring."

"That's understandable Yugi. But I have to confess, there were lots of times when I was terrified we might not make it out alive, but I always had absolute faith that you would win and get us out of it."

"We got into so many scrapes, didn't we?" He chuckled. "But I was always more afraid for you and our friends than I was for myself. I think that worrying about other people is my way of not having to deal with my own fear."

That made sense to Anzu. She had often been concerned that he put more effort into protecting other people than he did into saving himself. "How did you summon Slifer?"

Yugi took a shaky breath and shrugged. "It's hard to explain; it all seemed so surreal. I remembered Kaiba saying that when Aigami was about to destroy him, he summoned Obelisk. Remembering what he said, I focussed my mind on Slifer and a strange calm came over me. I knew that when I jumped, I would either see Atem again, or Slifer would catch me." He was not cold but a strange feeling ran down his spine, making him shudder. Cuddled against him, Anzu felt it and also shivered.

"Don't feel guilty about what happened to your kidnappers Yugi." She studied his expression. He looked so conflicted and she was unsure what to say next. Was there a part of him that wanted to see Atem again so badly that he would rather have died?!

"Atem wanted you to live and enjoy the life he was not able to have. That's got to be why he sent Slifer to help you. Siegfried and his thugs messed with the wrong guy when they picked on you, and they got what they deserved."

"Maybe," he shrugged. "It's just more proof that I can't get by on my own without stuffing up. I shouldn't have trusted Siegfried. I shouldn't have let myself get kidnapped. I shouldn't have given in and implanted that virus. But they told me they knew where to find you and they threatened to hurt you." He had not meant to let that last part slip and felt bad when she flinched. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have worried you with that."

"No. It's okay." It was a terrifying thought to think that someone might be willing to hurt her in order to force Yugi to comply, but she did not want Yugi to know how much it unnerved her so she shrugged it off. "You were all on your own and did the only thing you could at the time. Kaiba stopped the virus and... and it all worked out in the end. "What you did was brave." She kissed his cheek. "You're my hero."

He laughed bitterly. "Nothing heroic about what I did. I'm not a hero and never will be. I think that's what that awful dream was trying to tell me."

"It was just a nightmare from in here." She lightly tapped his head.

He pouted. "If I'm a hero, why do I always doubt myself?"

"Everyone doubts themselves Yugi – even superheroes. Most people avoid putting themselves in danger because they're too afraid of the consequences should they fail. But, whatever the threat, you always step up to the challenge and you never give up. I always dreamed of being a dancing on Broadway. But without your encouragement I would never have had the guts to apply for an overseas student place. The standard is high and I was frightened they would reject me. But your courage gave me the will to go for it and succeed."

"I always knew you would make it," he answered, glad for an opportunity to divert the conversation away from himself. "I love seeing people succeed. Especially my beautiful girlfriend." Outside. The sky was just beginning to lighten slightly. He was no longer feeling like going back to sleep and an idea came to him.

He had been putting this off, but it suddenly seemed like the right time.

Much to Anzu's surprise, he leapt out from under the covers and knelt in front of her with a nervous grin on his face.

Taking one of her hands in his, he cleared his throat. "Erm.. Anzu.."

Feeling confused, Anzu studied him and giggled when she saw that the flap on his boxer shorts was being pulled open by the position in which he was kneeling. "Yugi, you're... flashing." She was tempted to tickle him there.

He followed her line of vision down to his lap and blushed. "Anzu! You're not meant to be looking there!" He fidgeted about and adjusted his boxers.

Anzu just giggled even more. "What?! Can't girls admire their boyfriends?" He was so cute and gorgeous and adorable and lovable that it made her heart beat faster. Heat was rapidly creeping up her chest to her face.

She trailed her fingertips over the downy hair of his inner thigh.

Her actions were making him flustered and aroused.

"No! Y..yes! But!" His breath hitched as her hand brushed across the front of his boxers.

He steadied himself and took both her hands, holding them firmly in his own hands to prevent her from teasing him further. "Right!" He regained his focus. "I was gonna ask you this in Germany, but.. well, that didn't work out at all how I wanted..."

Sensing that this was a serious moment, her heart began to pound with the anticipation of what she hoped he was about to ask.

Her lips parted slightly as she fixed her eyes on his. His pupils were dilated with adoration and love, and yet, at the same time, he looked so serious.

"Anzu Mazaki," he continued. "Will you marry me?"

Her breath caught in her throat. She was so emotional that for a moment she was unable to speak. Instead, she made a little whimpering noise.

Her reaction was not what he imagined it would be and he feared she might say no. "We don't have to get married now or set a date! I just want you to wear a ring that says we are betrothed to one another. But if you don't want to..."

He faltered when he saw she was nodding and her bottom lip was trembling. "Yes! Yugi! Yes! I do want to marry you," she suddenly squealed with delight and threw her arms around him, knocking him off balance and causing them to almost fall off the bed.

Laughing, he embraced her. He could feel her trembling with happiness.

They peppered each other's lips and faces with kisses that gradually became more heated.

When at last they paused for air, he spoke. "We can go and choose a ring tomorrow, if you like?" He was feeling so relieved that she had accepted.

"I would love that." She cupped his face in her hands and attacked his lips with another passionate kiss.

Lost in the moment, the stress caused by his nightmare was fading. This was the reason he had not wanted to die falling off that cliff.

And maybe it was also the reason Atem had sent Slifer to save him.

::::::::::::

Choosing an engagement ring made Yugi feel extra special.

He wanted to buy her the biggest, most spectacular, diamond encrusted monstrosity that they could find, but Anzu tactfully rejected the ring he was suggesting. She already had in mind what she wanted and since she would be the one wearing it, Yugi conceded and allowed her to choose.

It did not take long for her to find a simple gold band with one dainty little diamond set into it.

Luckily, the store had the ring in her size and Anzu wanted to start wearing it immediately.

Smiling, Yugi slipped it on her finger while the female shop manager took a photograph for them on Anzu's phone.

"Aww.. you both look so adorable," the woman cooed.

Yugi grinned as Anzu held up her hand and admired it. The ring looked so nice on her.

After they left the jewellers, they walked the few blocks to where Anzu would be spending the afternoon rehearsing.

Yugi went to hold her left hand but Anzu stopped him. "No! Other side." He looked confused as she switched places with him. "Hold my right hand," she ordered, winding her fingers around his. "Only I want to wave my left hand around so that everyone can see."

She beamed at him innocently when he rolled his eyes, chuckling at the way she held her left hand out as she walked. She looked pretty silly but he was prepared to let it go if it meant that everyone would see she was his!

However, he was suddenly hit with the fear that she may wave her hand too much and lose the ring down the nearest drain hole! "It's not loose is it?" Be careful it doesn't fall off!

She laughed. "Don't be silly Yugi, of course it isn't. Look! Fits perfectly." She waved her hand in front of his nose and wiggled her fingers.

Of course, this was New York. So passers by just ignored them.

::::::::::::

Arriving at the studio a bit too early, Anzu took Yugi into the Starbucks on the opposite corner.

There they found Harri and a couple of the other dancers killing time before rehearsals.

Anzu couldn't wait to show off her engagement ring, as well as the man she had just become engaged to.

Harri was the first to congratulate them and he readily offered Yugi a handshake. "It's a pleasure to meet you dude! I've heard all about you."

Dude?! Yugi tried not to grimace at the over familiar term and accepted the handshake with a grin. "All good things I hope?" He joked.

"Of course!" Harri chuckled. "Anzu told me about you're achievements. King of Games at age sixteen and still unbeaten! That's pretty awesome!"

Anzu rolled her eyes and hugged Yugi's arm. "All this praise and the King's head's gonna get too big for his body," she giggled, kissing Yugi's cheek.

"Never," he laughed, trying to act cool about it. "I'm gonna get some coffee. Would anyone like a refill?" He offered Anzu's friends. But they all declined because it was almost time for them to head over to the studio for rehearsals.

"Do you want anything?" He asked Anzu, when she accompanied him to the counter.

She confirmed that she would have a skinny latte to go. Nodding, he placed their order.

"I feel mean leaving you while I go to work," said Anzu, while they waited for their drinks.

He shrugged. "Don't worry about me. There's plenty to do in New York." He had already decided where he wanted to go.

She was intrigued by the cheeky smirk on his face. "What are you going to do?"

"I thought I might see what the game stores have to offer," he explained.

She might have guessed! "I'm sure you will have fun,"

Arranging to meet outside the studio later, they shared a quick kiss and Yugi watched her leave before sitting down to drink his coffee and search for game stores.

And as soon as he had finished his drink, he trotted off in the direction of the game stores he had located on his Google search.

After getting lost and then getting on the wrong subway train, he eventually found Nintendo NY and the nearby Gamestop.

Grinning like a Cheshire cat, he went inside the Nintendo store first.

If he had thought he could enjoy browsing the game stores quietly, without being recognised, he was wrong. Within five minutes, he was surrounded by fans wanting to take pictures of themselves with him.

It was the same when he went into to Gamestop. His own game had just gone on sale there and they had a rather nice advertising display set up.

Not wanting to miss out on a great opportunity, the store manager placed a table and chair in front of the display and asked if he would mind signing copies of his game for people.

He probably should have charged them for doing so but he really couldn't bring himself to ask for payment.

Word was soon out that the King of Games was in the store, and in no time at all, the store sold out of his game. They had to hastily bring in supplies from their other stores! But it was not long before those ran out too.

The time whizzed by and he was almost late getting back to the practice studios.

Anzu and Harri were already waiting for him when he arrived.

"Sorry!" He grinned sheepishly. "Been signing copies of my game all afternoon. Can you believe that people actually know me here?!"

"You're popular everywhere Yugi," Anzu smiled proudly and hugged him. "They would love it if you attended one of their tournaments."

Yugi rolled his eyes. "As long as it's not one of those dodgy Pro-league tournaments then I might consider."

"What's wrong with Pro-league?" Harri voiced his thoughts out loud. It was a popular format in the States.

He had no idea about the corruption behind it and was quite shocked when Yugi explained it to him while the trio walked towards the subway station.

Anzu had already told Harri that Yugi did not mind him moving into Sally's old room and he was quick to thank Yugi for agreeing to it. "I can't tell you how grateful I am to be getting out of that garbage can."

"Garbage can?" Yugi was unfamiliar with the expression but he could guess it was something not very nice.

Nodding, Harri explained that since arriving in New York, he had been living in the cheapest place he could find, which was little more than a flop-house. He lived in one, tiny, dirty room and had to share a bathroom with the other, less than savoury occupants. He was kept awake most nights by the prostitute that lived in the flat next door entertaining her clients, and was fed up with drunken men hammering on his door at all hours, mistaking his flat for hers.

Yugi and Anzu went with him to help carry his stuff. He didn't have very much, but it was much easier moving it with three people helping.

Anzu had not been to his apartment before and wrinkled her nose at the smell of weed, beer and sweat in the hallway. "Why didn't you say it was this bad? I would have let you move in before if I'd known!"

Harri shrugged sheepishly. "I didn't know if your flat-mate might come back. And I didn't want to move in without Yugi's approval." He looked at Yugi to check for any negative reaction and was relieved to see that he did not seem to be too disapproving about him moving in.

Yugi kept his feelings to himself. Deep down, he was still unsure about letting him stay in Anzu's apartment without him there as well, but he had to accept that it was better for Anzu to have someone to look out for her and to share the cost of the rent with, than to be all alone.

But he was also glad that he was staying here for at least another week. It would give him time to get to know Harri better. Only then could he really decide whether he was able to trust him or not.

Back at Anzu's apartment, Anzu explained the contract and showed Harri her own rental agreement.

"We will need to go to the office tomorrow and see Sam –the guy that manages this apartment block– and get your name put on and Sally's removed. I should have told them when she left but I just couldn't bring myself to deal with it..."

"Kinda hoped she'd come back, huh?" Harri smiled sympathetically. He knew Anzu was missed having her friend around.

Anzu shrugged. "Something like that."

After takeaway pizza, a beer or two and an evening of teaching Harri how to play Duel Monsters, Yugi decided that he liked the man. He could see what Anzu meant when she said he reminded her of Jonouchi: the guy was genuine, straight talking and funny. And he was just as terrible at Duel Monsters as Jonouchi was when he first started playing.

He did not think Harri would try and hit on her but he still decided that he would make an effort to spend more time visiting than he had in the past.

::::::::::::

True to his word, Yugi was back in New York four weeks later for Anzu's opening night of Manon.

He had never told Anzu this, but ballet was not really his thing. However, if Anzu was in it, then he could easily sit through a whole show just for a glimpse of her.

In his mind he had pictured Anzu in the lead role, taking the limelight and shining like the star he thought she should be.

But he was slightly disappointed when it turned out that she was only in the corpse de ballet and that her role was minor.

However, that would be sure to change in the future when they realised how talented she was.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading.


	19. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yugi has returned home with the news of his engagement to Anzu.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why are epilogues always so hard to write?! I find it so difficult to write endings to my stories. I feel like it is chunky and doesn't flow very well. But maybe that's just me over thinking it. Anyway, I hope you have enjoyed this story and like the ending I have managed to write.

When Yugi arrived home with the news that he and Anzu were engaged, everyone was delighted.

Of course, they all wanted to know when the wedding would be?

Not wishing to lay the blame on Anzu or her career, Yugi was diplomatic and explained that neither of them were in any hurry to get married, but when they did, it would probably be a spring wedding.

He tried to keep his engagement a secret among just his close friends and family, but the Japanese media somehow got hold of the news that the King of Games was engaged to his childhood friend, Anzu Mazaki, and were keen to know when the wedding would be.

It dominated the news for several days and Yugi found himself constantly being asked for interviews.

He gave them the same answer as he had given his friends, but it did not stop them speculating that the wedding would be next spring, or from making assumptions about where the wedding might be held.

Jonouchi offered to punch the next journalist who harassed him but Yugi chuckled and declined his offer.

The media would soon get bored and move onto the next big story.

One story the media, both at home and in Germany never did get their hands on was his kidnapping.

Kaiba had done such a good job of hushing it up that the truth was never known about how the three thugs had been incinerated inside their car.

Reports of a huge red dragon were dismissed as a hoax, or as vivid imaginations brought on by the freak electrical storm that had struck the area.

German forensics were able to identify the three victims from dental records. And because they were known criminals, who had connections to Russian gangs, it was presumed that it was either a gangland execution or a lightening strike during the freak storm.

It had taken many months of rehab, but Siegfried eventually made a good recovery. However, he refused to speak about how he really came to be so seriously injured. He claimed the explosion was caused by his own stupidity as a result of being too drunk, and wanted to completely forget the whole, dreadful episode.

Seto surprised Yugi by deciding not to make Siegfried suffer any further. He claimed it was because he simply did not care enough to bother. But Mokuba told him that it was actually because Seto's conscience was pricking at him, making him feel sorry for the man.

Resilient as always, Yugi quickly put the events of his kidnapping behind him moved on. There were so many good things in his life to be getting on with, that it was pointless to dwell on what might have happened had Slifer not appeared.

Over a few beers, he and Jonouchi even laughed about it.

They both agreed that all of them had probably grown far more resilient than most people, due to their involvement in some crazy and often dangerous adventures during their teenage years.

They both found it quite cleansing to talk about how they had handled the pressures that had been placed on them.

Jonouchi sat back reflectively and took a big sip of his beer. "How'd we always get through that shit unscathed Yugi?"

"Blind faith and friendship," Yugi chuckled, sipping at his own beer.

"And don't forget the Pharaoh," Jonouchi added. Atem had been the main reason that Jonouchi had fought so hard to become a better duelist, and Yugi had been the reason he had fought to become a better person.

Yugi smiled reflectively at being reminded of his close bond to Atem. That bond would always remain, no matter what happened.

::::::::::::

Following its successful run on Broadway, the New York Ballet had taken the hit production of Manon on a world tour.

To be dancing her way around the world was a like a dream come true for Anzu and she threw herself into the role of 'performing artiste' with enthusiasm and determination to succeed.

To begin with, she was only a junior member of the troupe, dancing as part of the corps de ballet, but was determined to work her way up the ranks.

Her dedication did not go unnoticed by the choreographers, and when one of the understudies suddenly resigned due to personal problems, Anzu was promoted to junior understudy.

She had hoped that she would have some time to work her way into her new role, but fate was about to hand her a huge opportunity.

Tomorrow night was their opening night in Vienna but one of the lead dancers was suffering from a bout of flu. She had tried to continue with rehearsal but collapsed and was taken to hospital with pneumonia.

The senior understudy stepped in.

But when she fell over and sprained her ankle, Anzu was asked to step in to take the role as Lescaut's mistress.

It was a cut throat business and the competition to be a senior understudy was fierce. There were a couple of girls who considered themselves higher up the pecking order than Anzu and it created a bit of tension.

But the artistic director and choreographer had seen Anzu practising and felt that while she was less experienced, Anzu was showing far more enthusiasm and flair for the role, so they had the final say.

The other two girls were not pleased, but dancers who argued and caused trouble were not welcome, so they conceded and congratulated Anzu. They even admitted that Anzu was very talented and deserved it.

Gaining a top position within the New York Ballet was hard enough as it was and there was no guarantee you would keep your position once you were there. Contracts were continually being renewed and if you did not perform to the standard required, then you would have to re-apply for your job and possibly face dismissal – it was that tough.

Anzu knew this and was determined not to let herself down, or the company down. Otherwise she would be out!

Of course, she felt sorry for the girls not chosen, and she felt bad for the sick and injured dancers, but this was the opportunity she had been waiting for all her life.

She was now on the main billing and she could not resist sneaking round to the front of the theatre to see her name on the advertising board among the list of main cast members.

Her heart was in her mouth when she saw the electronic poster showing a photograph of her dancing. She just had to photograph it and send it to Yugi, her mother, Shizuka and Mai.

The messages of support and encouragement she received in return were so uplifting and filled her with so much happiness. Although, the term 'Break a Leg' really ought to be re-phrased.

Going back inside to prepare for the show was a reminder that this dream was real. And as she sat in the chair, while the make-up artist painted her face and did her hair, Anzu started to have self-doubts:

Could she really do this?

Was she good enough?

Yes! She had watched, learned and practised all the main parts and could do this. It was her turn to shine and all she had to do was control her nerves and dance to the best of her ability.

It sounded simple in her head, but she got off to a nervy start during warm-up, fifteen minutes before curtain call.

After a clumsy landing while performing a Brise, her choreographer took her to one side. "You are too tense," the choreographer told her. "Relax and feel from here," he tapped her chest over her heart, "-and not just here." He tapped her forehead.

She nodded and groaned. "I know... I know what I'm supposed to do." She had done it enough times in practice. "I'm just too excited... Am I really good enough?" She whined in desperation

"Yes! I know you are," he smiled, gripped her shoulders and kissed her cheek. "I have faith in you." If he hadn't, he would never have picked her over the other girls. "Feel the music like it is your lover. Embrace it and let it flow through you."

Anzu nodded dumbly. She needed to stop over thinking it and dance from the soul.

The pep talk seemed to work and even the hard to please artistic director was impressed when he walked in to see her glide effortlessly across the floor.

With her confidence returning, Anzu waited to go on stage. Her heart was pounding with anticipation, nerves and adrenaline. Her male partner winked at her as he ran out onto the stage. Anzu waited for her cue to join him for their pas de deux. Reminding herself to pretend she was alone with her partner and just dance naturally and instinctively, she skipped out onto the stage and her love for her art began to consume her. It felt as if she was dancing on clouds.

Everything felt good but she would not know until the end of the act, when the rounds of applause almost lifted the roof, that she had been a success. And as the dancers took their bow, she was buzzing.

When she came off stage carrying the huge bouquet of flowers that had been handed to her, everyone congratulated her.

Critics and theatre goers were already asking; "who is this talented young dancer from Japan?" They had never heard of Anzu Mazaki before but were certain she was set to be a big star in the world of ballet.

Keen to show off their new rising star from Japan, the director promoted her to the role of Lescaut's Mistress, permanently, there and then.

When she left the theatre, the Paparazzi and fans were waiting at the stage door to photograph the dancers, but it was late at night and all Anzu wanted to do was to hide somewhere and convince herself that this was real.

She might have been dreaming of this since she was a little girl, but it was still difficult to believe it might actually be happening.

And it was all happening so fast!

At any moment, she thought she might wake up to find it was all a dream.

She needed her rock, her anchor... she really needed Yugi here with her right now.

He knew how to deal with success.

::::::::::::

Early April, One and a half years after their engagement:

With all the exciting things going on, it had taken them a while to set a date for their wedding, but twenty months on, it was finally happening.

Both of them had wanted the date to coincide with the Sakura being in full blossom and a local venue in Domino Park was selected.

Preparations had been underway for the last twelve months and Anzu's only regret was that she had been away touring for much of the time, and had been forced to leave the arrangements to Yugi.

He said he did not mind, but was clearly out of his depth when it came to some aspects of the wedding arrangements.

Luckily, Mai stepped in and was a great help. She had offered to oversee the making of the bride's dress and the bridesmaids dresses. She also organised the flowers.

Whenever the production company took a break and Anzu had some leave, she would come home for fittings and to check everything was going to plan.

This new arrangement worked well and she decided to give up her apartment in New York – it seemed pointless paying rent when she was never there anyway.

She had also signed a two year contract with the New York Ballet, but was starting to think that when her contract came to an end, she would leave and go freelance. Hopefully that would mean she could choose when and how often she went away on tour, because six to eight months away from home at a time was tough when it meant that you could not be with the person you loved.

As the date of her wedding drew nearer, Anzu was getting more and more excited.

In three days time they would be taking their mid season break. Anzu would be going home for two whole weeks and would be marrying the man she loved but had not seen since he came to visit her in London during the Christmas and New Year holidays, over three months ago, while she was performing there.

::::::::::::

Everyone was gathered outside the chapel.

Anzu had always wanted a western style wedding and Yugi had been more than happy to go along with her choice. As long as he was marrying Anzu, he did not care what sort of wedding they had.

At this time of year, weather permitting, wedding ceremonies took place outside the chapel, underneath the blossom laden sakura trees.

This year, the sakura blossoms were better than ever. It seemed that mother nature had timed it to perfection and the archway formed by the two trees they would be married under, made for a wonderful, romantic setting.

As Yugi arrived with Jonouchi, who was relishing his role as best man, he started to feel very nervous. In less than ten minutes, his beautiful bride would arrive and they would become man and wife.

He glanced around to look at the guests. He caught the eye of his mother, father and grandfather, and smiled when Grandpa winked at him. His mother wiped a small tear and gave him a smile and a wave.

Behind his parents sat his aunts, uncles and a couple of close cousins. On the opposite side, Anzu's mother sat with other members of her family, whom Yugi had never met. Honda, Shizuka, Mokuba and Seto sat behind them.

Honda looked proud to see two of his best friends about to tie the knot, and Shizuka and Mokuba looked excited. Seto looked as if he would rather be somewhere else.

Behind them sat Bakura and Otogi.

Sally's mother had made a full recovery from her breast cancer and she and Sally had made it over from New Zealand.

Jonouchi noticed Yugi glancing nervously around. "All set lil buddy?" He almost made the move to give his friend a playful shove and ruffle his hair, but suddenly remembered where they were and pulled back.

Worried he was about to be noogied, Yugi recoiled, and then sighed with relief when his friend thought better of it. "You did remember the rings?"

"Yeah! Course I did!" Despite the reassurance, Jonouchi patted his pocket to make certain they were still there.

"Good." Yugi straightened his posture and shivered with anticipation when Mokuba shouted that the limo was just a couple of minutes away. At Mokuba's insistence, Seto had let them use his pale blue limousine as their wedding car.

Anzu sat in the back of the car with her father and Mai, who was her stylist and chief bridesmaid. Her twelve year old niece was the second bridesmaid.

Anzu's off the shoulder wedding dress was made from pearly white silk and was cut to fit her toned figure. The train of the dress consisted of patterned lace and silk. She wore a dainty gold and silver tiara with a veil. Mai's dress was in pink silk and was also off the shoulder. Anzu was so grateful to Mai for helping organise the dresses in her absence. They all looked so beautiful.

Dressed in a neatly pressed, grey chauffeurs outfit and white gloves, Isono parked the limo and got out to open the car doors for them.

Linking arms with her proud father, Anzu made her way across the tree lined avenue and along the thirty metre pathway that lead to the chapel. He bridesmaids followed on behind, taking care not to tread on her train.

The small band started playing Here Comes the Bride and everyone turned their heads to look towards Anzu and her bridal party.

They all made appreciative noises at how beautiful she looked.

Jonouchi quickly took his seat, leaving Yugi to stand on his own in front of the minister.

Yugi felt a lump in his throat and feared that he may be too lost for words to be able to speak his vows.

Arm in arm with her father, Anzu walked towards her husband to be.

Peering through her veil, Anzu gave a small smile of appreciation. Yugi had scrubbed up pretty well and looked dashing in his silver/grey tuxedo, white shirt and silky pink tie.

He turned to greet her with a big smile on his face and she shyly raised her veil to peer at him with a big, happy smile of her own.

Their journey to this moment had been a long and interesting one, but there had been times when she wondered if they would ever make it to this moment.

From the day a small boy, with spiky hair and a friendly smile, caught her eye in the playground, to the day the same small boy had solved the Millennium Puzzle and she had started to see him as maybe something more than just a friend.

There had been confusion in her mind back then, over the dashing saviour he had seemingly turned into when he had saved her from danger and perverts.

Would he have grown into the man she was in love with, without Atem?

Would she have even wanted him as a lover and husband, without Atem?

She doubted she would ever be able to answer to those questions, but she was happy that things had turned out the way they had.

They both spoke their vows clearly and with sincerity, and she wanted to cry with joy when he slipped the wedding band onto her finger and gave her a gentle smile.

She almost forgot that she also had to put a wedding ring onto his finger!

With their vows complete, Yugi leaned in and kissed her gently on the lips. "I love you," he whispered.

To which she replied. "I love you too."

Another wedding party was waiting for their turn, so they moved away into the park for the photographs.

There was still the formality of officially registering their marriage, but as far as they were concerned, they were now husband and wife.

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A massive thank you to you all for reading, liking and reviewing. Without you, I would not have the enthusiasm to keep writing.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope that was a good start.  
> Please let me know by giving some kudos or posting a review. I'd love to know i there are still plenty of people out there who need more peachshipping.


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